Back To The Beginning
by Bal-Breelice09121994
Summary: When Evie tries to help Mal get over her nightmares caused by her mother something unexpected happens. Who will be there to protect and care for Mal when she can't herself? I know I suck at summaries. Please give this story a chance.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: Okay, so I had this sent to me as a prompt by Boris Yeltsin and I was quite intrigued by the idea. This is not a Ben/Mal story. For this story the pair realised after the coronation they loved each other like brother and sister rather then like boyfriend and girlfriend. I should also add Maleficent was never turned into a lizard at the coronation. She managed to escape but hasn't been seen since.**

It was a clear, quiet night over Auradon and all of the kingdom were sleeping peacefully. All but one. Mal was currently beginning to toss and turn in her bed. Another nightmare plaguing her dreams tonight. The young girl had hoped tonight would be different when she went to sleep that night but as was becoming usual for her now she was getting restless. However, what she didn't realise was her whimpering stemming from her nightmare was rousing her room mate. Evie was slowly beginning to wake up but she couldn't place the sound that had woken her.

Evie laid in her bed for a while with her eyes closed trying to figure out why she was waking up. That was when she heard another whimper. She knew then exactly what had woken her. Her best friend. Evie quickly got up out of her bed and slowly made her way over to Mal's bed. The scared look on her friends face tugged at her heart. She couldn't bare to see her best friend/sister like this. What made it worse was poor Mal was starting to be affected during the day by the restless nights. Evie made the decision to wake her sister up in the hope that when/if she fell back to sleep she would sleep a little better and fell a little more rested in the morning.

"Mal." Evie called out gently as she placed her hand upon Mal's shoulder. Mal however just kept tossing and turning. "Mal!" Evie shouted at her. The blue haired girl regretted it immediately however when Mal bolted up into a sitting position and struggled to get her breathing under control. Evie sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around Mal in an attempt to comfort her clearly distraught friend.

"NO!" Mal shouted as she struggled to get free. Evie tightened her hold on Mal, holding her to her body. Evie knew from experience if she let Mal go now Mal would have a panic attack and wouldn't calm down for a good few hours. She briefly looked at Evie while she struggled and it was easy to see in her fear she didn't realise who the girl who was trying to comfort her was. Mal was still trapped in whatever had happened in her nightmare.

"It's okay, Mal." Evie whispered to mal as she continued to struggle against the girl's hold. "It was just a nightmare. You're safe." She told her purple haired friend and finally Mal began struggling a little less.

"E?" Evie heard Mal whisper. Her voice thick with the tears that were streaming down her face. Evie couldn't help but smile a little at her but it was definitely a sad smile. This has happened every night since Ben's coronation three weeks ago.

"Yeah I'm here. You're safe." Evie told her. Evie felt Mal relax a little more at the sound of her voice but Mal's shoulders were still shaking were she was crying. This had become a nightly thing now. Mal would wake me up while having a nightmare, Evie would wake her up and console her while she cried and Mal would then continue to cry herself back to sleep. Thankfully, Mal usually spelt through with no problems after that. Evie had tried to help her but she was running out of options. Mal wouldn't let Evie tell anyone about her nightmares, even Ben who had become Mal's closest friend after Evie. Evie secretly had asked Fairy Godmother for advice but lied and said it was her having trouble sleeping. That was a bust. Evie had tried to make a dreamless sleep potion for her younger friend but even that hadn't worked. Evie was running out of things to try.

It wasn't long before Evie noticed Mal's breathing had evened out again and she had fallen back to sleep. Evie stayed holding Mal for a few more minutes until the she was sure Mal was definitely asleep and then began to manoeuvre her way out from behind the younger girl and gently laid Mal down on her bed. Evie paused over her when Mal began shuffling around, Evie assumed she was trying to get comfy but a few seconds later Mal settled once again. Evie covered her over with her purple duvet and turned to get back into bed herself when she saw something in the corner of the room. _What the hell?_ She thought to herself

Evie quietly walked over and couldn't help but roll her eyes at what she had found. Jordan's Genie Lamp. Jay must have taken it to play a trick on her again. It wouldn't be the first time although it's the first time he has left it in the girls room and not taken it with him. _Strange._ Evie picked it up, not comfy leaving it on the floor and placed it onto her bedside cabinet. After another quick look over at Mal only to find her once again sleeping peacefully and checking the time on the phone her boyfriend Doug had given her, 4:05 am, Evie climbed back into bed and turned over, facing away from Mal.

Evie couldn't stop the sigh that escaped her lips. "I wish Mal was a baby again so she wouldn't have to deal with what her mother had done to her." She whispered to herself. Evie knew it wouldn't be possible but at least that way Mal wouldn't have this every night. Poor Mal was scared and worried to go to sleep because she knows she'll have another nightmare of everything her mother had put her through. It was with this thought Evie drifted off back to sleep unaware of the magic surrounding Mal's bed and the transformation occurring.

 **Author's Note: Hope you like this prologue. I will be following with another chapter soon. Also my other stories Family & Revenge and Gaining A Family should be uploaded by tonight as well. Please review and let me know what you think. **


	2. The Transformation Discovered

A few hours later Evie woke up. Her body telling her she needed to get up and start her usual morning routine. But she stopped in her tracks when she looked over to Mal's seemingly empty bed. _What the hell!?_ Evie thought to herself. Mal was never up before her. In fact most days she had to wake the purple haired girl up or she would never even get to her lessons on time so for Evie to find Mal's bed empty at 6:30 in the morning was very alarming.

"Mal!" Evie called out to the empty room hoping beyond belief the other girl was just in their adjoining bathroom but that notion was quickly squashed when there was no reply. "Mal! Are you here?" Evie asked the empty room. However, as Evie let out a little sigh of frustration she could of sworn she heard giggling coming from somewhere in the room. "If this is you idea of a joke, it's not funny, Mal!" Evie shouted quickly getting annoyed with her friends antics. Her eyes scanned the room again as she heard another giggle. That was when she saw the duvet on Mal's bed move slightly.

Evie took the couple of steps necessary to reach Mal's bed and pulled back the covers. She couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing. Curled into a ball in the middle of the bed was a small girl about one year old with purple hair. _What the rotten apples is going on!?_ Evie thought to herself.

"Mal?" Evie asked the tiny girl whose green eyes were currently looking up at her. Upon hearing her name the little girl smiled and started clapping. It was as the girl rolled onto her back while clapping Evie realized she had no clothes on. The teenager had no idea what to do. She would need to make Mal some clothes but she would need lots of other baby things as well. Evie just wasn't sure where she would get the money from to get them or what exactly she would need. Her first thought was to ask Ben but him being the new King it didn't seem right to ask. She didn't even know who to tell. Evie quickly grabbed one of teenage Mal's smaller t-shirts and slipped it on the girl so she didn't get cold. Mal took the signal of being somewhat dressed as a sign it was okay to run around the room. Evie couldn't help but roll her eyes affectionately at the energetic one year old as she grabbed her sketch pad she kept on her bedside cabinet and started on some ideas for the small girl.

After around half an hour she had a finished idea for the girl but she still needed her measurements to make it to size. From what she had seen of Auradon children Mal was quite underweight for her age. The young girl was currently sat on the floor, having convinced Evie to give her some paper and a pencil, attempting to draw. _Some things never change._ Evie thought to herself.

"Mal, can you come here please." Evie called out to the toddler. Shockingly Mal came straight over to Evie and allowed the blue haired girl to lift her onto the bed.

"Who you?" Mal asked the older girl.

"My name is Evie. Can you say that Mal?" The teen told/asked the toddler.

"Ev... Ev... Evie. Evie!" the young girl had shouted her name when she finally said it without stuttering. The teen could help but smile at Mal being so adorable. But she knew she had something she needed to do. With a bit of a struggle Evie took the girls measurements and set her back down on the floor to continue drawing. Evie pulled out the material she kept for if Mal needed any new clothes and placed them on the table which held her sewing machine. As Evie got started on her designs, in her haste to help Mal, she completely forgot it was Monday and she and Mal had Goodness Class first thing.

At around 10am Evie finally stopped after having made three day outfits and a set of nightwear for the young girl. It was then she realized how quiet Mal had been and looked between the beds to find her curled up, asleep. Evie grabbed the sleep wear and moved to pick up Mal. Once Evie had laid the sleeping girl on the bed she carefully changed her clothes and laid her under the duvet but before covering her up Evie placed a towel under the girls bum. _Hopefully if Mal has an accident it wont leak through._ Evie thought.

As Evie tucked in Mal there was a knock at the door. The teenager turned to glare at it before looking back at a peacefully sleeping Mal. I was ready to ignore it when I heard another more persistent knock. _Jesus! What the hell can be so important!?_ Evie spotted Mal getting disturbed by the knocking and decided to answer the door and try not to murder whoever was on the other side.

When she opened the door though she came face to face with the last person she expected to see. Fairy Godmother.

"Fairy Godmother, what brings you here?" Evie asked the head mistress trying to keep her voice down so as not to walk Mal but loud enough it wouldn't be suspicious. Evie knew how cranky teenage Mal could be when woken up she didn't want to think what toddler Mal would be like if she got woken up.

"Well you and Mal missed Goodness class this morning so I came to see if everything was okay." Fairy Godmother explained. _Crap! How could I forget I had lessons today._ Evie thought to herself. Evie had two options here. Promise it won't happen again or tell Fairy Godmother the truth. "Where is Mal anyway?" She asked the teenager looking over Evie's shoulder and not seeing her best friend. The blue haired teen glanced briefly at her bed to make sure the little girl was okay but Fairy Godmother must have interpreted it differently. "Evie, is everything alright? There's nothing wrong is there?" Fairy Godmother asked the torn girl in front of her. Evie was in two minds of what to do when suddenly the decision on whether or not to tell the older fairy was taken out of her hands.

"Evie?" A small, sleepy voice called out. While Evie and Fairy Godmother had been talking neither had noticed the small girl on the bed was waking up. _Well I guess the cat is out of the bag._ Evie thought as she took one last look at Fairy Godmothers confused face before heading to the bed and lifting the small girl into her arms.

"What's the matter, Mal?" Evie asked the girl. Mal was currently still trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes so was completely oblivious to the 'stranger' in the room.

Mal pointed back to the bed and simply said "Wet."

Evie nodded to the young girl even thought she knew Mal probably wouldn't even register her movement since she was so tired. "It's okay, Mal. We will just change it okay?" Mal sleepily nodded to the blue haired girl and snuggled into her chest in an attempt to get back to sleep. Evie ran her hands through Mal's short curls and had completely forgotten Fairy Godmother was even in the room until she spoke.

"Wait, Mal!? That's Mal? How did this happen?" Fairy Godmother asked Evie. The teen merely nodded as she didn't really know what to say about it. Evie didn't remember her wish for Mal to forget what her mother had done to her so the teen had no idea how to explain it. At the sound of another voice Mal turned her head to face the 'stranger' and looked at her with questioning eyes.

"I have no idea." Evie stated. "I went to sleep last night and everything was fine but when I woke up this morning Mal was a one year old again." Evie explained what she could remember. Evie looked down at the small girl in her arms when she felt a couple of weak tugs on her t-shirt.

"Who dat?" The girl asked.

"That is Fairy Godmother. She's very nice. Can you say hi?" Evie said to the girl. Mal made no move to talk to Fairy Godmother though. instead Mal's green eyes looked at the older woman who had come a little closer after the girl had been told who she was.

"Hi Mal." Fairy Godmother addressed the girl but as she suspected Mal didn't answer her she just turned her face back into Evie's chest. "Do you have anything for her? Do you know what your going to do?" Fairy Godmother asked the teenager. Thankfully while Evie had been sewing Mal's outfits she had thought of such questions.

"I have a few outfits I have sewn for her but other then that no. I have no idea what to do. I mean I know we have to try and turn her back but I have no idea how to take care of her." Evie explained. But the further along in her explanation she got the more Evie started to freak out.

"Calm down, Evie." Fairy Godmother told her as she walked forward and placed her hands on the teens shoulders. "I'll run into town and pick up a few things she will need and I will excuse you from classes for this week. Okay?" Evie just nodded to the older woman sensing she really didn't have a choice in the matter anyway. "When I get back I'll talk you through what you need to know and I will perform a spell that will tell us exactly how old she is. I'll be back soon." The headmistress promised before quickly leaving.

Although as Fairy Godmother left Mal decided it was time to wake up and shuffled in Evie's arms to be let down. After a couple of minutes Evie finally understood what Mal wanted but regretted it instantly as Mal began running around with a lot of new found energy. "Mal, if you keep running around like that you will hurt yourself." She told the young girl.

"No." Was the tiny girls reply as she once again ran past Evie. The teen was prepared for her to run past her this time though and was able to scoop Mal up into her arms and tickle her. As she tickled Mal Evie couldn't contain her smile at the giggles and shrieks Mal was producing. The young girl was trying, to no avail, to bat Evie's tickling fingers away.

Finally Evie hesitated a little too long between tickles and Mal manages to wiggle free and crop to the floor. Mal had landed near the bed and quickly rolled under Evie's bed as the teenager tried to pick her up again.

"Come out, Mal." Evie said to her but Mal simply replied "No." and continued to giggle. To Mal this game was amazing since Evie couldn't reach her no matter how hard she tried. Evie continued for over an hour to get Mal out from under the bed. She even pushed the bed backwards a little in order to reach her but Mal had simply shuffled backwards with the bed. Evie let out a frustrated sigh making Mal giggle even harder.

"Where's Mal?" Fairy Godmother mouthed to Evie as she transported herself into the dorm room with her arms full of bags. Evie merely pointed to the bed and Fairy Godmother understood immediately. Mal was loving the game she was playing with Evie and felt like she could keep it going but she hadn't counted on the other woman coming back.

"Mal! Come out from under that bed this instant." Fairy Godmother called out to Mal in a stern voice that made the young girl stop giggling. Mal began to shuffle towards the edge of the bed but the further she got the more upset she became. The young girl had only been playing a game and didn't understand why she was in trouble. "I'm waiting, Mal." Fairy Godmother said. Mal eventually came out from under the bed but her eyes were brimming with unshed tears making both Evie and Fairy Godmother feel bad. Mal just didn't understand what she had done wrong.

 **Author's Note: I hope you guys are liking this story so far. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. x**


	3. Learning The Basics

Mal came to a stop in front of Fairy Godmother and looked at the floor. Fairy Godmother felt her heart tug at how upset the little girl looked. She clearly didn't understand what she had done wrong so Fairy Godmother picked her up and balanced Mal on her hip. This position meant Fairy Godmother had to look into Mal's tear filled eyes.

"I'm not mad, Mal. But when someone asks you to do something you need to do it, okay?" The older woman tried to explain it in a way Mal would understand. She seemed to as a small smile came across her face and she nodded her head.

"I sowwy." Mal apologized. She had been looking at Fairy Godmother but both her and the teen next to her knew the apology was meant for both of them.

"Apology accepted. Now shall we get you out of these wet clothes?" She asked the girl in her arms who clapped in response the the question.

Fairy Godmother reached down with the hand not supporting Mal and grabbed the changing mat that was sticking out of one of the bags. "Evie? Could you get the baby wipes, a pack of diapers and a change of clothes for Mal please?" She asked the teenager as she laid the changing mat on Evie's bed and then placed Mal in top of it. Fairy Godmother then proceeded to show Evie how to properly clean Mal and change her diaper. Fairy Godmother had bought both diapers and pull ups not knowing when they would be able to start potty training the girl. _Seems fairly straight forward._ Evie thought to herself. She had been watching Fairy Godmother intently and had a good idea of what to do when she was on her own although what Mal would do when Evie needed to go back to lessons was beyond her.

"There you go. All clean." Fairy Godmother told the toddler. Mal wasn't paying attention though. Evie had given her one of the teddies she had found in one of the bags so Mal was more interested in chewing the ear of the rabbit then in anything the other two women were doing.

Fairy Godmother was able to quickly perform an age determiner spell. "She's small for that age." Fairy Godmother muttered to herself.

"How old is she?" Evie asked unable to keep her curiosity at bay any longer.

"Mal is two year and seven months old. But she is so small." The older woman explained.

"So what does that mean?" Evie said quickly. The teen was worried her friend would become ill or could get hurt easily or any or the various things currently running through the teens mind.

"Nothing. It just means that she may be hungry more often. I need to go and do a bit of research to see if we can change her back. Call me of you need anything. Oh and there are cartons of milk in one of those bags. Just pour one into a bottle if Mal is hungry and give her the bottle." The headmistress told Evie. "Bye Mal." Fairy Godmother said to the small girl but as she suspected she didn't get a reply as Mal was far more interested in the rabbit. She smiled at Evie once more before turning and heading out of the door.

Evie placed Mal on the floor, out of fear she would roll off the bed, and began sorting through the various items Fairy Godmother had bought for Mal. After the quick tutorial Fairy Godmother had given her Evie felt more confident in caring for the young girl next to her. Evie at least knew the basics to care for Mal properly. The bags contained clothes (which Evie put in the chest of drawers), toys (which she just took out of the wrappers and gave to the girl) and various other things which were now sorted and placed around the room. What Evie didn't know is where Mal would sleep. She couldn't sleep in her old bed or Evie's bed.

Evie couldn't dwell on it for long though as a few minutes later she felt something soft collide with her head. Turning slightly she found Mal's stuffed rabbit on the floor next to her. Evie quickly grabbed it and gently threw it back at Mal getting a loud laugh in return. The young girl considered throwing it back but instead decided to chew on it's ear once more. Evie couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's antics. Evie thought Mal was completely adorable and not for the first time she wondered how Maleficent could treat such a sweet, caring girl so horribly.

Leaving the girl to play with her many new toys Evie went back to her sewing machine as she noticed half of the stuff would be too big for Mal right now.

Evie had been sewing for around two hours when her phone started ringing. She stopped the t-shirt she was making and picked up her phone, unable to stop smiling when she saw her boyfriends name on the screen. "Hello." She said answering her phone. "I'm okay, Doug really... Yeah. You bringing me lunch would be amazing." Evie told her boyfriend. "See you soon. Love you too." She responded before hanging up the phone.

"Hey Mal, you hungry?" Evie asked realizing the girl hadn't eaten all day. Evie couldn't help but laugh as the small girl, who was currently sat on the floor, started nodding very enthusiastically. The teen grabbed an empty bottle and a carton of milk that you could serve at room temperature and after shaking it and pouring it into the bottle she gave it the the small girl who drunk it greedily. The blue haired girl smiled at her small friend as a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in." Evie called to the person at the door. She couldn't help but smile when she saw Doug let himself into her room. But how he didn't see Mal the teenager didn't know. But we walked right by the small girl, who had stopped drinking at the sight of the 'stranger' entering the room and walked up to Evie.

"Hi." Doug greeted then teen before he kissed her.

"Eww!" Mal cried from the floor gaining the teenage couples attention immediately.

"Erm... Evie?" Doug asked his girlfriend clearly not understanding what the hell was going on.

"Oh right you don't know." She stated as she walked over and lifted Mal onto her hip. "Doug this is Mal. Mal can you say hi to Doug?" Evie asked the girl but instead of speaking she just waved before continuing to drink from her bottle. "Well it's more then Fairy Godmother got when she first saw Mal." Evie informed the stunned boy in front of her.

"That's Mal?" Doug asked, still trying to get his head around it.

"Yeah, I don't get it either." She told her boyfriend truthfully. "I woke up and Mal was like this." She told him.

"What are you going to do when you need to go back to lessons? Who's going to look after her then?" Doug asked, concerned for his friend and his girlfriend. Evie placed Mal, who had now finished drinking her milk, onto the floor so she could play.

"I have no idea Doug. I'm hoping once people know what has happened someone will offer to look after her. We don't even know if we can turn her back into a teenager again." Evie explained. She too was worried about what would happen to Mal. The girl in question however was completely oblivious to the concerned conversation going on around her and played happily with her toys.

"I have a double free period after lunch why don't you take a nap and i#ll look after Mal." Doug offered. He had noticed just how tired and worn out she looked and she had only been doing this for half a day. He didn't want to think how Evie would cope of she had to look after the toddler full time.

"You sure?" She asked, a little apprehensive to leave Mal with him. Not because she didn't trust Doug but because she didn't know how Mal would react. But she would be in the room so what's the worst that could happen right? Doug nodded to her it was fine before he sat on the floor near Mal. "Okay, thanks." Evie thanked him and got into bed. Not even a few minutes later Doug heard a light snoring coming from Evie and knew she was already asleep.

Mal gently threw the ball she had been holding towards him and he caught it before praising her. "Good job, Mal!" he said causing the young girl to smile. "Can you catch?" Doug asked her, but even though Mal nodded he threw it as gently and low as possible for her to make it easier. As he suspected she tried to catch it but ended up ever so slightly missing it.

They carried this game on for a while with Doug praising Mal when she threw or caught it and consoling her when she didn't manage it and got upset. Mal grew increasingly more comfortable with Doug and was having as much fun with her as she does with Evie.

Mal was beginning to grow tired of their game of catch they had going and looked around for something else to play with Doug. The small girl was enjoying him being there. Mal then spotted her stuffed rabbit and threw it at Doug as she had with Evie a few hours previous. Mal had thought Doug would laugh like Evie had but she had inadvertently knocked his glasses from his face.

"Mal, you shouldn't do that. It's not nice." Doug scolded the young girl but his tone of voice had come out much harsher then he intended and Mal had quickly begun to cry. "It's no good crying Mal. You are in trouble. It's mean to throw things like that." He continued to scold her not realizing the tone of voice he was using.

The sound of Mal crying her begun to wake Evie but before she could fully wake up and realize what was going on Doug said "Come here. You can go in time out." But Mal was far to upset to listen to Doug, who she thought was just being mean to her. She didn't understand why he wasn't apologising like nice lady (Fairy Godmother) had earlier in the day. Without realising what she was doing and still think about Fairy Godmother the small girl was surrounded in purple smoke and was gone from the room. Doug just sat there looking stunned. _Mal can use her magic!?_ He thought to himself.

It was then that Evie awoke and turned over to face Doug. "Where's Mal?" She asked not seeing the young girl anywhere.

"I don't know." Doug told his girlfriend already preparing herself for her wrath.

To his surprise Evie chuckled. "If your playing hide and seek check under the beds." the blue haired teen told her boyfriend. She had assumed it was some part of a game but Doug next sentence woke her up fully.

"No I mean she isn't in the room. She magicked herself away."

"What the hell do you mean 'she magicked herself away'!? Doug what the fuck happened!?" Evie demanded of her boyfriend.

"I scolded her for throwing her teddy at me and knocking my glasses off when she started crying. Next thing I know there's purple smoke around her and she's gone." He told the furious teen sat on the bed.

"Why on earth would you scold her for throwing a teddy!? That's how she plays! She did it to me earlier for goodness sake!" Evie shouted. Doug suddenly felt foolish and incredibly guilty for upsetting Mal the way he had. She would of assumed if Evie was okay with it then Doug would be as well yet he had yelled at her. "She could be anywhere in the entire kingdom! We have to find her!" The blue haired teen exclaimed her anger subsiding and her concern and worry taking over. She had no idea where to even start looking for the toddler and was at a complete loss for what to do.

"I'm so sorry Evie." Doug apologised. He truly felt awful for how he had handled things and now Mal was missing.

"Just help me find her." Evie stated as she got up and went to search the grounds of the school for the young purple haired girl. _If she's not on the school grounds I'll go to Fairy Godmother for help._ Evie decided as her and Doug began searching corridors and empty classrooms for any kind of sign the girl had been there.

 **Author's Note: I realise this chapter is shorter then my usual chapters and may feel a little rushed but I just couldn't get it to flow the way I wanted it to. The chapters will start getting longer after this chapter. Is there anything you would like to happen in this story? I so please leave a review or PM me and let me know. Hope you enjoy the chapter. x**


	4. Accidental Transportation

**Author's Note: I apologise for the recent delay in updating my stories (this one included) I have had personal/family problem. I will now however be back to regular updates on this story.**

 **Also, I had a query on one chapter as to Mal's age and understanding. She is two years and seven months old. I have a nephew around this age and will be basing her understanding of things on how he acts/reacts/talks as it's the only comparison I have.**

Mal had no idea where she was or how she had gotten there. She was in Evie's room being yelled at by Doug one minute and the next minute she was standing where she was now, in a large room of some kind. What baffled the young girl was the lack of decoration. It was nothing like Evie's room which she had been staying in. There was no personal touch to this room.

Tears began to form in Mal's eyes as she realised she may not find the nice lady or find Evie. This didn't look anything like Evie's room and she didn't know how to get back there either since she doesn't even know how she left. The girl looked in front of her, down the hallway, before also turning to look behind her. She felt well and truly lost. Mal couldn't help but let a few tears escape her eyes as she wondered if she would ever get back to anyone she knew.

The small purple haired toddler had no idea where to go now. She didn't know her was around this strange building but she had thought of the nice lady from earlier in the day so she must be here, right? With that in mind the young girl set off on her mission.

But as she wandered further down the very long (to a two year old) hallway she came to lots of rather large doors. Mal cautiously walked towards the nearest door and silently turned the handle. She found she couldn't open it and Mal's tears fell a little faster at this realisation. The upset girl was beginning to think she would never find her way out.

She repeated the process across the next few doors down the hallway but the result was always the same, they were locked and this caused Mal to get a little more upset each time. Mal then came across the last door in the hallway. It was a little different to the other doors as this one had some kind of detail on it. But the distraught girl didn't care much about that. She just wanted to find someone she knew.

Carefully Mal reached up on her tip toes to open the door. She could only just reach the handles but she managed to turn it and thankfully the door opened a little. The girl tried to calm down and not cry as much as she was but it was no use. She stepped inside the room as quietly as possible but stopped next to the door when she heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Yes... No... I understand but can it... Well if it's important I'll tell her right away." The voice said. As Mal studied this person she realised they must be on the phone with someone. The sound of the phone being slammed against the desk made the small girl cry out and sob harder then she had been doing. She was actually scared now and wanted nothing more then to be back with Evie.

The noise/sobs however had caught the strangers attention. As the person turned their chair Mal noticed the fuzzy/blurred outline of a woman. "Oh!" The woman's voice exclaimed as she laid eyes on the frightened little girl stood near the door. "Are you okay, little one?" She asked, unsure how old the girl was. Mal realising she had been spoken to just shook her head. She couldn't stop the tears flowing down her cheeks to talk but Mal noticed the stranger was now edging a little closer to her. She slowly backed away from the woman and took a small step through the door before she was spoken to again. "Oh, no no no. It's okay little one. I only want to help." The woman said. Mal couldn't help but feel a little better knowing this woman wanted to help her and her tears slowed when she realised this woman may know where the nice lady from earlier is.

Cautiously, Mal took a few small steps towards the older woman. "Who you?" She asked, her voice cracking from her sore throat.

The woman smiled an the small girl before answering her question. "I'm Aurora." She simply stated knowing the girl would probably have problems saying her name.

She was proven right when Mal tried to repeat the name she had been told. "Aur... Aur.. ra... Aura?" Mal asked the woman. Aurora's smile got a little bigger at how the girl had shortened her name. The way she had asked was the most adorable thing she had seen for a long time but she couldn't shake the feeling she knew the girl from somewhere.

"Yeah, Aura." Aurora agreed with the young girl, not wanting to cause her any further upset by telling her she had said her name wrong. She knelt in front of the girl, who was looking at her cautiously with a few tears still spilling from her eyes, before she opened her arms silently asking the lost, upset girl if she wanted a cuddle. Mal wasted no time in running into Aurora's arms and seeking a little comfort from the woman. Aurora gently lifted her up and balanced Mal on her hip. "So what's your name?" Aurora asked the girl in her arms.

"Me Mal." The small girl replied as she started playing with Aurora's long blonde curls. Aurora couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her mouth but luckily Mal hadn't heard it and continued playing with her hair. She couldn't help but look down and try and find any similarities between this small girl and the Mal she knew. Sure enough after a few seconds she realised there was no denying this was Mal but she also knew even as a child Mal would come here without a reason.

"So, how did you get here?" Aurora asked. She needed to figure out how the girl had got here and why. Mal just shrugged her shoulders in response. She didn't know that answer herself. "Are you looking for someone?" Aurora guessed. It was the only reason she could think of as to why a girl this small would be here. Mal nodded to her and she smiled. "Who? Do you know their name?" She asked the small girl. If she knew who the girl was looking for she could try and help find them.

"Nice fairy." Mal said as her tears flowed gown her face a little faster. Aurora couldn't help but smile as she looked at the young girl who was sat on her hip. The woman knew only one person who went by 'fairy' that Mal would know and that was Fairy Godmother.

Aurora walked out of her office and began walking back to where Mal had appeared. Mal however didn't notice. She had started crying again thinking she wouldn't ever be able to find the nice lady/fairy from earlier in the day. She didn't notice Aurora was leading her through the castle. Mal only looked up when she heard Aurora knock on a door. "Come in." Mal heard another strange voice call to them.

Aurora took a deep breath knowing her mother was also in there and turned the handle to the library door, gently pushing it open before adjusting Mal's position slightly. She walked through the doorway and was met with an exclamation from her mother. "What... I mean who the hell is that!" The loud voice caused Mal to start crying almost inconsolably again. The sound of crying caught the attention of the other four people in the room.

"Mother!" Aurora hissed as she tried to comfort Mal. "Mal." Aurora gently called her name causing the distraught girl to look up at her. "Look who's there." She stated pointing towards towards the Fairy Godmother. Mal followed the direction Aurora's finger was pointing in. She began to wriggle and getting what Mal wanted Aurora knelt down and placed Mal on the floor. No sooner had Mal got her balance on the floor was she running towards Fairy Godmother, who only just bent down in time to catch the crying girl.

Fairy Godmother lifted her into a hug and began running her fingers through the purple curls on top of the girls head. She moved over to sit in the nearest chair which just so happened to be next to a scowling Leah. "What's wrong Mal?" She asked. She was concerned over how upset the young girl was and was worried about how she had got to Auroria in the first place let alone managed to get into a guarded castle.

"Doug mean." Mal stated through her tears. This confused Fairy Godmother even more. Doug was one of the nicest and most helpful students in the school. She knew he wouldn't have intentionally hurt or upset Mal.

"Why is he mean?" Fairy Godmother asked her, never stopping running her fingers through the young girls hair since it was starting to calm her.

"Doug yell." Mal told her. The older fairy immediately understood what was going on as she remembered Mal's reaction to her telling the girl off. What she missed however was an exasperated Queen Leah rolling her eyes at how upset the young girl was because someone had yelled at her.

"I'm sure Doug didn't mean to yell Mal. And I'm even more sure he is probably just as upset as you are right now." She informed the girl, while also aware she still had to ring Evie and Doug who would no doubt be worried about her.

"Weawy?" Mal asked the older woman, looking up at her with sad eyes.

"Yeah, really." Fairy Godmother confirmed, causing the girl to cuddle back into her. "Sorry, Aurora?" She said, quickly gaining the woman's attention. "Do you think you could hold Mal for a second? I really need to make a phone call." Aurora quickly nodded.

"Mal." Aurora gently called to the girl as she held out her hand to the small girl. "Shall we go read a book?" She asked. This got the young girls attention rather quickly and she slid off Fairy Godmother's lap and took hold of Aurora's hand.

"K, Aura." The girl stated eagerly following the woman over to the children's books that were kept in the corner of the library.

Fairy Godmother watched the pair and smiled. Even as a child Mal was polite and eager to read. She sat watching as both Mal and Aurora sat on the floor and began a book before quickly pulling out her phone and ringing Evie.

The teen answered after a couple of rings. "Hello?"

Evie, this is Fairy Godmother. I have Mal with me..." She couldn't finish her sentence as Evie quickly started asking questions.

" _Oh my god, is she okay? Where are you? Doug said she used magic!"_ Evie rambled. Fairy Godmother let her finish before explaining everything.

"Yes, she is fine. Just a little upset. She said Doug yelled at her and because of how upset she was she must have used her magic to get to me here in Auroria." Fairy Godmother explained to the upset teen. "This happens in children born with magic. It's just accidental magic nothing to worry about. I will bring her back with me later." She said.

" _Okay. Thank heavens she's okay. Doug feels so bad but I'll tell him not too worry."_ Evie told the head mistress. The pair said their goodbyes and Fairy Godmother proceeded to put the phone back in her pocket. She glanced back over at Mal and Aurora before someone clearing their throat drew her gaze to the three other fairies in the library.

"She's such a sweet little girl." Flora stated, causing Fairy Godmother to nod. What else could she say to that. It was true and it made her wonder what Maleficent had done or said to make Mal believe she wanted to be evil.

"She's so open and caring." Fauna said, all the fairies nodded to this statement but Queen Leah remained glaring at the small, innocent girl currently sat with her daughter.

"And man is she adorable." Merryweather added.

"Makes you wonder what happened to make her as closed off as she was when she first arrived doesn't it?" Fairy Godmother asked the trio of fairies who nodded their agreement. They all turned to look at the small girl in question when Queen Leah decided she had had enough.

"You don't actually believe this do you!? I mean this is clearly just a trick!" Queen Leah snapped at the quartet of fairies in the library.

"With all due respect Queen Leah, this is most certainly not a trick. How could you even think that when we have spent most of the morning trying to reverse whatever has happened to her." Merryweather said. None of the fairies could understand the outburst from her.

"Oh please. This is definitely a trick. I mean her mother escapes from Ben's coronation, hasn't been seen or heard from since then all of a sudden this happens." Leah tried to defend herself. "Be realistic."

"Clearly we aren't the ones who need to be realistic." Fairy Godmother stated to Queen Leah. She oh so desperately wanted to say more but she saw Mal approaching and turned to face the small girl who was rubbing her eyes.

"I tired." She said as she climbed back onto Fairy Godmother's lap and curled into her.

"Okay, Mal." She stated to the exhausted girl currently curled into her. "Maybe we could meet tomorrow in my office?" She asked, addressing the three fairies as she carefully stood. They nodded their agreement to this plan all three knowing if Queen Leah kept accusing Mal of helping Maleficent then Fairy Godmother would say something she is likely to regret. "Thank you for your help, Aurora." She said causing Aurora to nod.

"It was no problem at all. She's an absolute delight. She loved reading. Maybe an afternoon with Queen Belle would be good for her." Aurora suggested not knowing that the Queen doesn't actually know about this certain predicament.

"Maybe." Fairy Godmother agreed, knowing once the Queen found out it probably wouldn't be long after she would offer/request to babysit the girl. She looked down at the small girl curled into her chest and smiled at how peaceful she looked whilst asleep. "I'd better get going to this one can sleep in a bed not on me." She joked causing a light laughter to sound from four of the five people in the room before she left in a light blue swirl of smoke.

 **Author's Note: So I hope you liked this chapter. As an apology for not updating for a while I hope to have the next chapter up either tomorrow or the day after (latest). Please let me know what you think. x**


	5. Meeting Ben

It had been a little over an hour since Fairy Godmother had left Auroria and brought Mal back to Evie. Evie sat with Doug waiting until Mal awoke from her nap. Although if she didn't wake up soon Evie knew she would have to wake her or she would be up all night like she had been the night before. Although as this thought came to Evie's mind she heard a small voice from the bed.

"Evie?" Mal called out. She didn't remember getting back to Evie's room but thought nothing of it. Mal sat up as Evie came to the side of the bed and she immediately noticed Doug. "No." Mal stated pointing directly at Doug. "You mean."

"Mal. Doug wants to tell you something." Evie told the small girl sat on the bed. "Is that okay?" She asked. She knew Doug would apologise anyway but Mal needed to understand that he was sorry for what happened. Evie smiled at the young girl when she nodded but kept a cautious eyes on Doug as he moved closer.

Doug knelt next to the bed so he was the same height as Mal before beginning to apologise. "Mal, I'm sorry for yelling. I was being mean and I didn't mean to upset you." He said. He felt so bad after she poofed herself away and he honestly didn't want to think about what could have happened if she hadn't reached Fairy Godmother. "Think we can be friends again?" Doug asked. He knelt there quietly as Mal seemed to ponder her answer.

"K." Mal stated before launching herself at Doug and wrapping her tiny arms around his neck. Doug laughed at her antics as a knock sounded at the door.

As Evie went to answer the door Doug sat Mal on the floor and watched as she immediately picked up her stuffed rabbit. Mal was rarely seen without it since she had been given it. Evie smiled at the pair as they began talking about names for the rabbit before answering the door. Her smile dropped a little when she saw Ben there.

"Ben, what's going on?" Evie asked Ben before he could even greet her. She didn't know if it was safe to tell anyone then again Ben was their King so she guessed he should know.

"No one has seen you for a while so I thought I'd stop by and make sure your okay." Ben explained reminding Evie of when they first came here and Ben used to pop in every couple of days to see if her and Mal were okay and if they had any questions.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Things have just been a little hectic around here." Evie explained. However Ben just adopted a very confused look. Evie gestured him inside and once she had closed the door she saw Ben stood there with his mouth open in shock. "Like I said, hectic and before you ask yes that's Mal." Evie told the very confused teenage king.

Upon hearing her name mentioned Mal looked up and found another 'stranger' stood near Evie. The young girl ran over the the blue haired teen before tugging on her shirt. Evie crouched down and lifted the young girl into her arms.

"Who dat?" Mal asked the teenager.

Evie smiled at Ben, who was currently looking at Mal like she was the cutest thing he has ever seen before she looked back at Mal as she rested the small girl on her hip. "That's Ben. He is King of this whole place." Evie explained as simply as she could she the young girl could understand what she was talking about. Although that really didn't work out. Mal simply stared at Ben.

"Ben play?" Mal asked Evie when she became bored of looking at Ben. Ben shook his head slightly but Evie didn't see him since she was looking right at Mal.

"I don't know, you'd have to ask him." Evie told the young girl. Mal turned back to Ben and tilted her head to a side as she looked at him. Ben actually shifted a little under the gaze as he remembered when teenage Mal used to look like that when she wasn't sure of someone.

"Ben, play?" Mal eventually asked the teenage king. She put on her best puppy dog face. Her green eyes seemed to double in size and her bottom lip was sticking out just a little. Ben had every intention of saying no to her request but as he looked into her face/eyes he felt his insides melt at how cute she looked.

"Sure, I can play." Ben relented. There was no way he could ever say no to that face and he knew then that it would cause him all kinds of trouble later on. Ben took the small girl carefully from Evie's arms and set her in the floor. Mal immediately took hold of her arms and led him to were Doug had previously been sat. He had got up a few minutes ago and was now stood near Evie.

Ben decided to teach Mal how to play catch. It was kind of like sport and it beat trying to find a name for Mal's teddies as most children seem to. After a few minutes of watching Mal struggle and getting upset with herself Ben decided to enlist some help. "Doug." He called to his oldest friend. Doug looked over to the pair before Ben continued. "Come play catch with us." Ben suggested. He could see his friend was about to deny so he mouthed 'Mal needs help'.

After seeing Ben mouth that Doug had immediately agreed to help. He sat in Ben's previous position and Ben had moved opposite with Mal sat in his lap. Ben handed Mal the ball and once she had hold of it he placed his hands over her small ones. "On three we throw it to Doug, okay?" Ben asked the girl. Mal nodded eager to see if with Ben's help she cold throw any better. "1, 2, 3." Once Ben got to three he guided Mal's hands and the ball forward, moving the small girls hands just in time to throw it. It didn't fully reach Doug but it got a lot closer then before causing Mal to squeal in delight before clapping.

"Way to go, Mal." Evie praised. She had been sat on her bed watching the two teens interact with Mal. It was strange yet at the same time it felt kinda normal. Evie knew they would have to turn Mal back into a teen eventually but at least for now Mal was free of her mothers torment and the nightmares her mother had caused.

"Great job Mal. Shall we try and catch it now?" Ben asked her. Mal was really beginning to enjoy herself so she eagerly nodded and let Ben take her hands in an attempt to catch the ball.

This game carried on for a good few hours and the three teens and toddler were having a lot of fun. None of them noticed the figure lingering at the window looking in at them. It took the teenagers a while but they finally realised it was almost dinner time and none of them were comfortable taking Mal to the cafeteria just yet.

"Me and Doug will go get something to eat for us all and bring it up here, Evie." Ben informed her. Not really leaving any room for arguments. Doug nodded and Evie just smiled at the pair but she still worried about how the rest of the school would react to finding out about Mal. There were still some students who saw them as villains. God knows what they would say to the innocent little girl currently sat talking gibberish to her stuffed rabbit.

"We'll be back soon." Doug told Evie as he kissed her cheek. Mal raised her head from looking at her rabbit in time to see the boys walk towards the door.

"No go!" Mal shouted as she ran towards them. The young girl hadn't heard them promise to be back soon but Ben reached for Mal quicker then Doug or Evie and settled her on his hip smiling at her.

"We will be back soon, Mal. We're going to get some food." Ben explained. The young girl understood what he was saying but she wouldn't believe that they weren't leaving for good. She just shook her head in answer to him and grabbed his shirt in her small hands. "I promise we will be back soon." Ben said to the little girl. As all three teens were focused on Mal they didn't notice the figure from the window grin evilly and leave.

"Pwomise?" Mal asked as she looked between Ben and Doug.

"Promise." Both boys stated as Ben handed the small girl back to Evie. The blue haired teen rested Mal on her hip as she usually did when holding her. Mal waved at the two teenaged boys as they left and stayed cuddled into Evie for another couple of minutes.

No sooner had Evie placed Mal on the floor after reassuring her Ben and Doug would be back and after eating they could all carry on playing catch did another knock sound at the door. Evie rolled her eyes and quickly made Mal a bottle of milk. Thankfully Mal could feed herself and the young girl raised the bottle to her lips beginning to drink it immediately. When another knock sounded at the door Evie couldn't help the annoyed sigh that escaped her lips. This was getting ridiculous now.

Evie opened the door fully intending to give whoever it was a piece of her mind but her snide remark died on her tongue as she opened the door to the last person she thought she would ever see at her dorm room door.

Evie gasped as she took in the person before her. "Queen Belle."

 **Author's Note: I know this chapter isn't very long but starting from the next chapter they will be getting longer. As always if there is anything you would like to see happen in this story, let me know. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. x**


	6. Belle's Suggestion

Evie looked behind her briefly to make sure Mal was okay before she turned her attention back to the Queen. "What can I help you with?" The teen asked.

"Mal was supposed to meet me today and when she didn't turn up I got a little worried." Belle explained. "Is she here?" She questioned. Obviously Belle had yet to find out about Mal but Evie knew it was only a matter of time before Fairy Godmother told her anyway. The blue haired teen gestured for Belle to enter but not even thinking to look around the older woman completely over looked the toddler with purple locks sitting on the floor, wondering who she was.

"So where is Mal?" Belle asked. Evie pointed at the floor behind the older woman. Belle followed the direction in which Evie was pointing and couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her mouth. "How is this possible?" She asked the teenager, as she took in the small frame of the two and a half year old.

"I have no idea." Evie stated as she walked past the confused Queen and picked up the small girl. "I woke up the other morning and she was like this." She explained what she knew, which wasn't a lot. She quickly turned her attention to the girl in her arms. "Mal, can you say hi?" Evie asked. Mal looked between the two women seemingly trying to decide.

"Hi." Mal said rather shyly, causing Belle to break out into a smile. Mal was absolutely adorable as for as she was concerned but what worried her was this situation was essentially a child caring for a child. Evie was only sixteen, she didn't need this responsibility while she was trying to get through school.

"Hi, Mal." Belle responded to the girl. It was then she noticed the rabbit who's ear was currently being chewed. "I love you rabbit, what's his name?" She asked the girl. Having no idea how old Mal was at the moment or her level of understanding Belle was pleasantly surprised when Mal shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, he needs a name, doesn't he." Belle said causing the girl to nod eagerly.

Mal looked at the rabbit in her small hand before smiling. "Snow!" The little girl exclaimed as she looked at Belle. The older woman could only smile.

"That's a lovely name." Evie responded as Belle nodded along to her statement. "Where did you hear that?" She asked. It didn't really matter to Evie, she was just curious.

"Aura." Mal told the teem holding her before she squirmed, wanting to be put down. Evie relented and placed the girl on the floor allowing her to entertain herself as she turned back to Belle and mouthed 'Aura?' to her.

Belle merely shrugged in response before she thought of the only person she could think of with a name similar. "She couldn't mean Aurora could she?" She asked the teen, unsure of who the toddler had met.

"It's possible. She transported herself to Fairy Godmother earlier and she was in Auroria so they may well have met." Evie explained. Fairy Godmother had come back a little mad and wasn't really very talkative about what had happened in Auroria so Evie wasn't told a lot and hadn't pushed Fairy Godmother either.

Evie went and sat on her bed, so she could easily watch over Mal and Belle followed sitting next to her. "So, how are you doing?" Belle asked the stressed teen. She could see Evie's stress written all over her face. This just caused the older woman more worry. She knew the girl wouldn't be able to carry on as she had been for much longer, she looked like she hadn't slept properly in days and would burn herself out soon.

"What do you mean?" Evie asked.

"I mean, how are you coping balancing school, homework and caring for Mal? Who has her while you're in lessons anyway?" Belle asked. The teen couldn't help but look shocked at the woman next to her. It was the first time she had been asked those questions and it had been the last person she had expected to be the one to ask.

"Well, I'm not going back to classes until Monday. But I have no idea who will be able to look after her once I have to start back at classes again." the blue haired girl admitted. It had been worrying her since Fairy Godmother told her she only had a week off.

"Erm... Well I may had a suggestion for you." Belle told the teen sat next to her.

"What's that?" Evie asked her. The older woman had piqued her interest.

Belle was about to answer the teenager's question but she noticed Mal rubbing her eyes out of the corner of her eye. She signalled to Evie she would be back in a second before sliding onto the floor and moving closer to the tired little girl. Belle opened her arms towards the small girl, who immediately crawled into the embrace. Mal curled into Belle's lap and rested her head on the older woman's chest, closing her eyes almost instantly.

"What if Mal came and stayed with me? You would be able to focus on school during the week and not have to worry about who is looking after Mal but of course you would be welcome to spend time with her whenever you like." Belle explained. Evie sat there with a blank look on her face and Belle immediately worried she had upset or offended the girl. "It's fine if you don't want to."

"No, its not that I don't want to. I think it's a great idea. You certainly know more about caring for Mal then I do." Evie told the older woman. Belle knew that she wasn't finished yet though so she sat cuddling the purple haired toddler waiting for the teen to continue.

"I sense there's a but coming." Belle said to the quiet teenager.

"What about King Adam? I mean won't he be upset?" She asked.

The older woman simply smiled at the blue haired teen. She understood why the teen was worried but also she knew that Evie shouldn't be worried about it. Then again as far as Belle is concerned all Evie should be worried is passing exams and completing all her homework. "You just leave him to me." She told the teen.

It was at that point the dorm room door opened, but as both Belle and Evie looked at the sleeping toddler, they shushed whoever was at the door. The girls watched as Doug and Ben struggle through the door with three trays of food and a cup holder full of drinks.

"Hi Ben, Doug." Belle greeted the boys quietly.

"Hi mom, what's going on?" Ben asked. It was rare he ever saw his mom at school for anything other then important tourney games, events like family day and of course to help in the library. Yet here she was sat in Evie and Mal's dorm room, cuddling a sleeping toddler Mal.

"We were just talking." Evie told Ben. "Your mom has offered to have Mal stay at the castle while we find a way to turn her back to normal." The teenage girl explained. Ben couldn't stop the shocked yet amazed look on his face.

"And dad's okay with that?" He asked. His curiosity getting the better of him and knowing how his dad tends to react. Belle merely responds to Ben with the same response she gave Evie. "Leave him to me." After a few more minutes Belle decided to shift out from underneath the sleeping girl and tucked her into her bed. She instinctively leant down and kissed the girls forehead before finishing tucking her in and leaving to go and talk to her husband and to try and sort out a decent room for Mal. She just hoped that Adam would be receptive to the idea and not immediately shoot it down.

 **Author's Note: So I hope you like this chapter. I hope to have the next chapter of Family & Revenge up by tomorrow night. I hope this chapter doesn't seem rushed to anyone. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. x**


	7. Preparations

After leaving Evie's room yesterday Belle had gone straight home and ordered some things for Mal. With Adam being stuck in his office doing paperwork she hadn't had a chance to talk to him yet but she couldn't think of that right now. The furniture for Mal's temporary nursery had just arrived and after speaking with an exhausted Evie this morning the pair had agreed that it would be best for the young purple haired girl to move in with Belle Saturday morning (tomorrow) so she needed to get the room sorted today.

The older woman was currently sat on the floor with pieces of the crib scattered around her, trying to understand the direction that came with them. Of course she had to order from the only shop that doesn't have an assembly option but she was an inventors daughter, surely she could figure this out. She was had managed to fix a few pieces together before she heard her husband.

"Belle! You in here?" He called through the door after knocking on it.

"Yeah, come on in." She responded to him.

As Adam stepped through the door she stopped in shock. "Erm, Belle? Is there something your not telling me?" He asked his wife as he looked around at all the baby furniture and items scattered around the room.

"Yes, there is actually Adam." She responded. Seeing his shocked/confused expression she decided she needed to elaborate. "Well Mal has somehow been turned into a toddler and poor Evie is struggling to cope. I offered to look after her. I'm picking her up tomorrow morning." Belle explained to her husband.

Belle had been expecting some kind of angry response or even for him to tell her he wouldn't allow her to take in the young girl. What she hadn't expected was for him to be very level headed about the whole thing and simply sit down and start assembling the crib with her. She couldn't help the surprised look that came across her face at his reaction, or lack there of. He was taking this news a lot better then her and Ben had thought he would. He actually seemed completely fine with the idea.

"So, when did this happen? And does Fairy Godmother think she can reverse the magic?" Adam questioned his wife. Belle just smiled at him. Even now it sometimes amazed her just how far he had come since his 'beastly' days.

"Evie woke up to Mal like this on Tuesday." Belle told Adam. "She has been looking for a cure or reversal since Tuesday and after not finding anything she's not very optimistic now. Would you be okay with having Mal here permanently if it came to it?" She asked the man opposite her as he finished attaching the last piece of the crib.

"Of course." He stated. However, he did surprise her with his next statement. "Although if it's going to be a permanent thing maybe we should look into adopting her. Give her the life and family she deserves and should have always had." Adam told the woman. Belle couldn't stop her smile growing even if she had wanted to, which she certainly didn't.

"Thanks a wonderful idea." Belle told him before pulling him in for a kiss. She couldn't believe such a thing would even cross his mind. "I love you." She said as she pulled away.

"I love you too." Adam replied. The two spent the rest of the day putting the nursery together and shopping for various items they would need to care for the small girl. The duo only stopped when they needed to eat or needed a drink. Belle couldn't wait for tomorrow. Having another baby/toddler running around for her to spoil and love, it's a dream come true. Especially since she was told after Ben she couldn't have any more children biologically.

 **(Meanwhile)**

Evie was sat in her dorm room with Ben and Mal once again playing catch on the floor. But as she looked at the clock ion her room she realised she would have to go down for dinner soon. The teenager had decided to take Mal into the cafeteria for dinner today since Mal would come across a lot of strangers tomorrow at the castle and Evie wanted to try and prepare her for that.

Even though Evie hadn't let Mal leave the room word had somehow gotten out about her being a toddler now. Evie suspected someone had overheard a conversation between Ben and Doug somewhere and spread the gossip around the school but she didn't blame either boy. It wasn't there fault. The blue haired teen watched as Ben and Mal laughed while playing catch with Snow (Mal's stuffed rabbit). They had started with a ball but after Ben had accidentally thrown it a little too hard and Mal had started crying, Ben had switched to the stuffed rabbit.

"Hey Mal, come here." Evie called the young girl over. Mal crawled up onto Evie's lap and looked at her expectantly. "Do you remember the nice lady from yesterday?" She asked the small girl who nodded in response. "Well that's Ben's mommy and tomorrow your going to live with her for a little while. Is that okay?" Again Mal nodded. The young girl was too young to be affected by the change but Evie wouldn't have felt right about it if she hadn't have told her small friend.

"Ready for dinner?" Ben asked the teen and young girl. He knew Evie wanted her to get used to strange people around her and he had offered to sit with Mal while she ate and Evie went to get some food for herself and the young King. Evie nodded before setting Mal on the floor. The young girl quickly took hold of Ben and Evie's hand, walking in between them as they headed for the door.

But as they walked out of the door Mal became weary of the many people staring at her. She held her arms out/up to Ben who smiled before picking her up. The young king kept Mal balanced on his hip as he walked with Evie, who was carrying the girls high chair, down to the cafeteria.

Reaching the cafeteria they found all their friends at their usual table and set Mal's high chair up at the end of the table next to the two available seats. Everyone except Doug turned to the three of them with shocked faces but one look from Evie, before she left to get Mal something to eat and they knew to hold their questions for now. Ben got Mal settled into her high chair and Evie returned with a small plate of spaghetti and a plastic spoon.

The young girl was all too happy at the sight of her favourite food and tried to reach for the plate as Evie passed it to Ben. The blue haired teen them left to get some food for herself and Ben as the teenaged king picked up a spoon full of spaghetti and held it out to Mal, who ate it quickly. They had realised yesterday that if they didn't want a complete mess everywhere and for Mal to actually eat her food they would have to feed her.

Ben repeated this action a few times before Mal once again tried to reach for the plate containing her food. "No Mal." Ben said as he moved the plate a little bit further away from her. He really didn't want her spilling it all over herself but this action just upset the toddler. Mal began crying and reached out one of her hands again for the plate. Ben simply moved the plate completely out of her reach as Evie returned to the table.

"What's going on?" Evie asked Ben as she noticed Mal crying.

"She tried reaching for the plate." Ben explained. The other teen nodded her understanding but neither were prepared for what happened next. The plate floated out of Ben's hold and over his head. The two teenagers along with the others at their table and a few others around the cafeteria watched the plate as is suddenly fell.

It landed upside down on Ben's head coating his hair in spaghetti and sauce. This sight caused Mal to stop crying and start laughing. A few other people laughed along with her and Evie struggled to hold back her laughter.

"Mal, that's naughty." Evie scolded the young girl who quickly stopped laughing and looked upset at Evie's tone of voice. "Apologise to Ben right now." She instructed the toddler as Ben moved the plate from his head and did his best to pull the spaghetti from his hair.

"Sowwy Benny." Mal apologised in a small voice.

"It's okay Mal." Ben told the girl as he smiled and tapped her on her nose, leaving a small blob of sauce on the tip of her nose. Mal started laughing again along with Ben and the rest of the table this time as Evie grabbed a baby wipe and cleaned the young girl's face. She would miss these small interactions with her best friend but she also knew Belle was a lot more capable then she was of caring for the toddler and she had promised Evie could go and see her whenever she wanted. Ben and Evie were so engrossed with Mal that neither of them noticed Chad glaring daggers at the young girl between them.

 **Author's Note: Okay so I know I have written this at the bottom of all my chapters but my story Family Day has now come to an end and Gaining A Family only has a couple more chapters before that is also finished. So I am wondering what type of story you guys would like to read next. I have some ideas for Ben/Mal stories but I would like to challenge myself and write another pairing as my main pairing. Please let me know which kinds of pairing you would like to read of should I stick with Bal stories? Please drop me a review/PM and let me know. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. x**


	8. A New Home

Today was the day that Mal was going to move in with Belle and Adam. To be honest as much as Evie would miss her best friend she was also looking forward to a decent nights sleep. The teenager was currently packing up Mal's toys and the few items of clothing Evie had managed to sew for her. The only thing Evie was not able to pack was the toddlers stuffed rabbit, Snow, which was clutched tightly in the purple haired girls hand.

The teen sluggishly put Mal's bottles and cups into a bag as a knock sounded at the door. "It's open!" Evie called out to whoever was there. As she heard the door close she slowly turned and found Ben stood there.

"Benny!" Mal shouted as she ran to the teenaged king. He quickly scooped her up into his arms and tickled her causing the young girl to squeal in delight, before he settled her on his hip.

"Thanks for this Ben, but I'm exhausted. She didn't sleep well last night but I have no idea why." Evie explained to him. Ben nodded his understanding to her but quickly turned his attention to the girl in his arms when she poked him in his cheek.

"I go with Benny?" She asked him. Ben couldn't help but smile at her. Even with her being a toddler now she still didn't stop calling him 'Benny' although now it was just adorable.

"Yeah. Your coming to stay with me and my parents for a while." Ben explained to the two year old, who was still clutching her rabbit. Mal simply nodded as Evie passed Ben the bags with Mal's things in. Ben shifted his hold on them until he was comfortable holding them and then waited until the blue haired teen had said goodbye to the small girl.

Evie took a step closer to the duo before she started talking. "Bye Mal, I'll come see you soon okay." She told the girl. Beginning to get a little tired from the lack of sleep the young girl nodded to the teen and snuggled a little further into Ben's shoulder. Evie ran her hands through Mal's hair before turning to look back at Ben. "You staying at the castle this weekend?" She asked.

"Yeah, I thought it might make it a little easier on Mal since she doesn't know dad." Ben explained.

Evie nodded to him. "Would you maybe text me a picture later?"

"Of course." Ben promised the teenager in front of him. "I better get going before mom rings." He explained. The blue haired girl nodded to him as Ben noticed just how tired she looked. "Get some sleep yeah?" Evie nodded to him again as a smile spread across her face. She would never get over how caring Ben and his parents were and she knew there was no family better to raise and care for Mal until a reversal could be found.

Ben then turned and left. As he walked through the halls of Auradon Prep he received some strange looks from other students. No doubt due to the two year old asleep against his shoulder. Ben simply ignored them and continued through the crowds of kids until he got outside and was greeted by the sight of the family car (limo). We walked closer and saw Leon (the driver) get out and open the back door.

Reaching the open door to the car he couldn't help but smile. His parents had installed a car seat in there for Mal. He held the bags out for Leon to put in the boot as he shuffled into the back seat and manoeuvred the toddler into the car seat, thankfully without waking her. It took his a few minutes but by the time Leon was back in the drivers seat he had Mal all buckled in with Snow, safe and sound.

"Ready you majesty?" Leon asked him. Ben nodded as he put his seatbelt on and looked back over to Mal.

Not too long later the car stopped outside the castle and the jerking movement awoke Mal. "Shh, it's okay." Ben gently told the toddler as he unbuckled her and cuddled her. As Mal noticed she was with Ben she smiled at him before poking his nose.

The young king took this as a sign she was okay and slowly got himself and Mal out of the car without either of them getting hurt. Both children were unaware of the older couple watching them from the top of the castle steps so as Mal poked Ben's nose again he pretended to try and bite her finger. This action caused Mal to squeal in delight and laugh. The sight in front of them was enough to melt the older couple's hearts.

The pair watched as the teen carried the young girl over to them. Adam felt his heart melt even more at the sight of the innocent child his son was carrying. Sure he hadn't had any problem's with his wife allowing Mal to come and stay but he hadn't expected her to be this damn adorable. She was the cutest little girl he's ever seen.

As Ben neared his parents Mal noticed Belle stood there and squirmed to get down. Taking the hint the teenaged king gently placed her down and she ran towards the older couple heading straight for Belle. The teen boy watched with a smile on his face as his mom lifted the girl into her arms and hugged her close with the kind of smile Ben always saw directed at his. A motherly smile. The teen knew then that his mom would be upset when a reversal was found and Mal was a teenager again.

"Who dat?" Mal whispered to Belle. The woman couldn't help but smile at her husband who the toddler was looking at rather curiously.

"That's my husband." Belle told the young girl in her arms. Seeing her confused look she decided to change her explanation. "It's Ben's daddy." Mal nodded her understanding to this, as she turned fully to face the older man.

"Hi." Mal said rather nervously.

"Hi." Adam replied to the girl, smiling at her. "And who do we have here?" He asked as he noticed the rabbit clutched in the girls hand.

"Snow!" She called out as she held the rabbit out for Adam to see.

"She's lovely." Adam told her. The smile on the younger girls face grew even bigger as he said this. "But shall we go inside and see all your new toys?" He asked. The two adults and the teen watched as the girls eyed widened.

"More?" The little girl asked, unsure she had heard the man correctly. She can't even remember the last time she had a teddy before the nice lady had brought her one now people were telling her she had more toys. She was sure she had misheard them.

"Yeah, more. Shall we go have a look?" Adam asked. None of them knew how to process the little girls response. Ben wondered if maybe Mal remembered some of the things Maleficent put her through but he really hoped she didn't. He didn't want her to have to relive that.

Ben followed his parents through the castle and up to the spare room closest to his parents room. He had no idea why they had brought her up here. This was just a storage room. But as his dad opened the door her was met with the sight of a beautifully decorated nursery with purple walls. His parents really had gone all out even though Fairy Godmother was looking for a reversal. As both his parents showed Mal all her new toys Ben took a look around the nursery. The wall with the crib against it was painted purple with her name written over the crib. The crib, rocking chair, book shelf and dresser were all white and there was a giant pile of toys and stuffed animals in the far corner which now had Mal and his parents sat in front of it.

Ben couldn't help but smile. It's a lot of work for what would be a short stay but that was his parents for you. They always go overboard for the people in their family which as of late included Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos as well.

The young king went and sat next to his parents as Mal looked at the toys in awe. "These mine?" She asked. Her voice was so small that if there was any talking going on it could have easily been missed.

"Yeah honey, they're all for you." Belle assured the girl. "Go on." She said as she gently pushed Mal a little closer to them. The young girl immediately spotted the ball pool and ran over to it. The two adults and the teen assumed she would climb in so when she turned back around with an innocent smile on her face they were confused. Mal moved her hand from behind her back to show a small purple plastic ball in front held in her hand. She quickly threw it hitting Adam in the head. Mal couldn't help but giggle and soon Belle, Ben and Adam had joined in with her. As long as this wasn't a regular thing they could let it slide.

The more comfortable Mal became the more she played with various toys. Currently she was 'cooking' in her little play kitchen with the help of Belle so Ben took a quick video and a few pictures sending them to his parents and Evie. Ben couldn't help but smile. Seeing how quickly Mal settled it was like she was meant to be here but it would all be over soon since a reversal would be found and she would be a teenager once again.

 **Author's Note: So I know my updates have been a lot more recent lately but being ill I haven't had a lot to do other then write my stories. I hope you don't mind. Hope you like this chapter. x**


	9. A Nightmare & A Trip To The Park

True to his word Ben had sent Evie plenty of pictures over the course of the weekend. Any picture he had taken had been immediately sent to the blue haired girl, who had responded with various emojis. It was now early hours Monday morning and the four castle residents are all asleep although three of them were sleeping peacefully, one was rather restless.

The youngest and newest castle resident was tossing and turning in her crib. Tears were silently running down her cheeks. The young girl didn't know who this person in her dream was but she knew this person was scary. She didn't want to be near this woman anymore. She was all dressed in all in black with two horns sprouting from her head. Worst of all she kept telling Mal she would take her away from the people she was with. She didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay with Benny and his family. She felt safe with them.

Mal woke with a scream. The young girl sat in her bed, hugging Snow, balling her little eyes out. She was beyond scared right now but couldn't get out of her crib to find anyone. Thankfully her scream had awoken Belle, who after throwing on her yellow dressing gown walked as quickly as possible into the young girls room. At the sound of the sobs coming from Mal, Belle could swear she felt her heart break.

Rushing forward Belle picked up the sobbing girl and cradled her small body into her chest. Mal's hand, which wasn't wrapped around the rabbit's ear, grabbed hold of the yellow fabric. If the scary woman in her dream was threatening to take her away from the kind people she was with, then she simply wouldn't let go. The former Queen sat on the rocking chair in an attempt to calm the girl in her arms but to little avail. While Mal calmed slightly she didn't stop crying.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Belle asked the upset girl. She left the toddler nod into her chest as her grip in Belle's dressing gown tightened as much as it could. "Come one, I think for tonight you can sleep with me and Adam." She told the young girl. This calmed Mal a little more, knowing she wouldn't be left alone again.

In the few minutes it took for Belle to carry the girl from the nursery to hers and Adam's room she had stopped crying and was beginning to fall back to sleep. Belle tried to be quiet as she walked back into their bedroom but found she had no reason to as Adam was awake and sat up, waiting for her to return.

One look at the young girls tear stained face and he couldn't stop the questions. "Is everything okay? Why was she crying?" He asked, clearly concerned for the girl.

"She's had a bad dream. She seemed to calm when I mentioned her staying in here." Belle explained to her husband. "That's okay right?" She asked, only now realizing he may not be that agreeable to it.

"Of course it's okay." Adam stated. She couldn't help at smile at him for that statement. For someone who was a little resistant to having these children come from the isle in the first place he was taking this all in his stride. She slowly took the last few steps to her side of their bed and slowly lowered Mal next to Adam. Belle breathed a sigh of relief as the young girl seemed to have no objections and as her husband laid himself back onto the bed Mal turned and cuddled into his side. The older woman couldn't help but snap a quick picture at the cuteness of how they were laid before getting into bed, behind Mal. Meaning she was now laid between then.

The older couple noticed Mal had fallen asleep mere seconds later and after sharing a smile and kiss they settled down and were soon asleep themselves, each with am arm resting over the girls small body.

This was the sight Ben walked into the next morning. He had had his breakfast and realized it was getting late and his parents never usually stayed in bed this late. He quietly entered their room and noticed how they were all cuddled together. Ben remembered seeing a picture of himself with his parents in almost the exact same position and smiled as he realised it had taken less then two days for them to fall back into the over protective parenting roles they had when he was young.

He snapped a picture and sent it to Evie but the noise had woken the small girl in between his parents. "Benny?" She said as she raised her head and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Ben watched as she woke up more and saw the excitement building in her eyes.

"Shh" He said. At the sound of his voice Mal shuffled towards the end of the bed and jumped down running towards the teenaged king. He lifted the young girl into his arms as he smiled at her. "Shall we wake them up?" Ben asked, gesturing to his parents as he smirked. Mal giggled as she nodded to Ben.

He gently placed the two year old back on the floor trying his best to suppress his laughter at the mischievous grin the the purple haired girls face. She walked back to the bed as quietly as possible and carefully climbed back up onto the bed. As she stood at the end of the bed she turned back to Ben and seeing the look in her eyes he was really struggling to hold his laughter in, so as she started jumping on the bed between the former King and Queen he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

As they both awake they shot each other a smile. "I don't miss these kinds of wake up calls." Adam muttered. Belle couldn't help but chuckle. It was then they realised there was someone else laughing. They turned to face their teenaged son and the smile an Belle's face grew knowing her son was behind this.

"We should have known you were behind this." She stated. Her and Ben turned their attention back the the happily jumping toddler.

"I think the tickle monsters gonna come and get ya." He said wiggling his fingers at her. Mal squealed in delight before running off the bed and hiding behind Ben's legs causing the two adults and teenager to laugh at how adorable she was being.

* * *

After Ben left for school the two adults spend the morning with Mal but by lunch they could tell she was bored with being in the castle. Belle decided to ring Ben and ask if he would like to meet them, knowing the teen didn't have any classes that afternoon. He had quickly agreed and before he had even ended the call with his mother Ben was already heading towards the front of the school, completely unaware of the person following him.

Once off the phone with Ben, Belle went into the family living room and smiled at the sound that greeted her. Glancing around the room her eyes landed on her husband knelt on the floor by the couch with Mal laid on the couch. Adam was currently blowing raspberries on the young girls stomach causing her to giggle rather loudly.

"Hey." Belle greeted the pair. Adam stopped blowing raspberries and smiled up at his wife. "Mal? Fancy meeting Ben at the park?" She asked. The young girl immediately sat up and looked at the older woman.

"Benny?" She asked. Her eyes lit up and excitement spread across her small face at the mere mention of Ben's name.

Belle nodded in answer to her question. "Yeah, come on. Let's go get your coat." She said to the girl holding her hand out. Mal ran forward and took the older woman's hand and allowed herself to be led into the hallway. Belle helped her on with her coat but as the older woman put on her own coat she noticed the toddler run off again. She looked in the direction Mal had run off but shrugged and decided to just go find her after she had gathered her things.

What the older woman didn't expect was for Mal to return holding her husbands hand. She couldn't help but laugh. It seemed like she had both her boys wrapped around her finger. "So, I guess your coming?" She asked through her chuckles.

"Looks like it." he responded putting on his own coat. The park they had agreed to meet Ben at was only a ten minutes walk so both Belle and Adam each took one of Mal's hands in their own and left the castle to walk to the park.

They arrived at the park at the same time as Ben. "Benny!" Mal called out as soon as he was in sight. She let go of the older couples hands and ran towards the teen. He quickly hugged her before convincing the girl to go and play. She smiled and ran off to go and play on the monkey bars.

Ben moved to sit with his parents and as they sat watching Mal play with other various kids none of them noticed the teenager who had his gaze trained on the purple haired in the playground. The trio watched as Mal played catch (as best she could at two years old anyway) with some other girls around her age. It was nice for them to see Mal getting along with others so easily.

Belle left the boys watching Mal play to answer her phone while the teenager hid behind a tree near the completely oblivious girl getting more and more angry that she was under constant watch. The older woman checked her cell phone and answered it upon seeing Fairy Godmother's name.

"Hi, Fairy Godmother. Is everything okay?" She asked the Headmistress.

" _Good afternoon, Belle. Erm... I'm afraid it's not promising news."_ She told the former Queen. Belle didn't like the tone of Fairy Godmother's voice. She immediately thought of Evie, Jay and Carlos and just hoped nothing had happened to them.

"What's wrong?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

" _I'm afraid I can't find a reversal or cure for Mal."_ She told the former Queen. _"We will have to find some kind of long term living arrangement for her."_ She explained. But Belle couldn't stop a small smile from playing on her lips.

"No arrangement's needed. Mal can stay with us." Belle said. She hears Fairy Godmother gasp slightly down the phone. "She has settled well with us. We love having her around and she adores Ben." She explained.

 _"Are you sure? I mean we have no idea what she remembers from growing up with Maleficent. It would be extremely challenging and time consuming."_ The headmistress stated. She couldn't quite get over the fact the former royal would want to do this.

"Of course I'm sure. And I don't care about the challenges. Mal we be somewhere she feels loved, with people who care for her." Belle said. They chatted for a few more minutes before Fairy Godmother had to cut the conversation short. The pair said their goodbyes and Belle walked back to her husband and son.

As she reached them she saw Mal run off to go and get the ball, that had somehow ended up near a tree. She stood behind Adam and Ben clearing her throat. They immediately turned to face her and she explained what she had just been told, another smile gracing her features. Ben was so happy. He loved Mal like a sister and now she could have the life and upbringing she deserved.

As the three conversed none of them noticed a teenager step out from behind the tree and cover Mal's mouth with a cloth, knocking her out, as she grabbed her and ran off.

Adam smiled at the news his wife had given him and turned to face the girl, only to not see her. "Mal?" he called out, hoping she was maybe just playing hide and seek or something. This however, gained the attention of the other two family members.

"Mal!" Belle and Ben called out. When they didn't hear a response Belle walked over to the children she had been playing with.

"Hi." She greeted them, receiving rather shy responses. "You know the girl you were just playing with, do you know where she is?" She asked them. She really hoped Mal just just very good at hide and seek but her gut told her otherwise and she couldn't help but tear up.

"Some guy took her." The oldest of the group told her. That was all Belle cold take. The tears fell freely from her eyes as a growl sounded from each of the boys. Now she felt horrible. If she hadn't drawn Adam and Ben's attention away from Mal this would never have happened. Adam placed a reassuring arm around his wife's shoulders but this only served to make her more upset. They just prayed whoever had Mal didn't hurt her. Not that it would stop Adam and Ben from unleashing their beastly anger on the guy who took her and if she was honest with herself, Belle wouldn't stop them either. Who in their right minds takes an innocent little girl!?

 **Author's Note: So I hope you this chapter. I am trying to update as much as possible. If you have any thoughts on this chapter please let me know. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. x**


	10. Nightmares Can Become Reality

**Author's Note: Just to warn you all the end of this chapter will feature a very small amount of abuse. It will be extremely brief and only mentioned in one sentence. x**

After getting over the shock of finding out Mal had been kidnapped Adam had quickly called Fairy Godmother and asked for her magical assistance to help find who took the girl. Mal had very quickly captured their hearts and become a member of their family. To think anything had or was going to happen to her just made the trio mad and upset. The headmistress had quickly agreed to help and arrived next to the family seconds later, wand in hand. But as she walked over to the tree the teen had been waiting behind she became confused. Fairy Godmother couldn't use magic to find out who had taken the toddler. Now she had to break that news to the distraught family behind her.

As she turned she wasn't given a chance to speak. "So? Anything? Do you know who took her?" Ben asked.

Regretfully, Fairy Godmother shook her head. "I'm afraid not." The older woman hated the way the trio's faces fell. "But I can tell you who is cloaking the guy with magic." She told the family in front of her. That bit of information peaked their interest but the older woman really didn't know how this would go down.

"Who is it?" Adam practically growled out.

"Erm..." The Headmistress stammered. Seeing the questioning look on the families faces she reluctantly carried on speaking. "They're being cloaked by... Maleficent." The gasp that came from Belle wasn't easily missed.

"Why would Maleficent want to kidnap Mal?" Ben asked the three adults surrounding him. He just couldn't understand why after neglecting her the first time around she would go to this trouble to take her.

"Oh my god!" The former Queen exclaimed, causing all eyes to turn towards her. "Adam, she wouldn't try and turn Mal evil while she's young and vulnerable would she?"

The former King couldn't stop the growl that emitted from his throat. "I think that sounds exactly like something Maleficent would do." He stated. He had always hated Maleficent but taking Mal like this, she just made it personal.

"We need to find her. Fast." Belle stated, with an anger and ferocity no one had heard from the usually kind, caring former Queen before. Both Adam and Fairy Godmother nodded to her. They were worried what her reaction would be of they didn't agree to be honest and they didn't want to find out. "Is there nothing you can do?" The former Queen asked the older fairy in front of her.

"I'll see what I can do." Fairy Godmother stated, turning away from the family. She had to find something. They were all worried about the small girl that had wormed her way into their hearts. If she was being honest the fairy agreed with Adam's statement. It sounds exactly like something the mistress of evil would do. Everybody just hoped they could find the girl before anything happened to her. None of them would forgive themselves of maleficent hurt the toddler in any way.

* * *

Mal began to wake up in a dark room. The boy who had taken her had left her in a small pile on the floor of a dark, cold, unfamiliar room. As her eye lids fluttered open the young girl struggled to make out anything she recognised or any shapes at all for that matter. As she fully came around she started crying. She wanted to be back with the nice family who she had been living with. She wanted to play in the park with Ben, to play with the older couple.

As she fully came around the small toddler sat up and looked around. She had no idea where she was, no idea how to get out and no idea how to find anyone. She curled into a tight ball, flinching as she heard a loud bang coming from near by. She looked around the room and noticed there was a large door in the opposite wall, as it swung open. Mal shuffled further away from the door and she watched a dark figure walk into the room.

The small girl slowly lifted her head and saw the figure she had been having nightmares about. The woman with horns coming from her head. The woman who told her she would take her away from the people the little girl loved. She had followed through on her promise and the young girl couldn't help but cry at the thought she might not see them again.

"Mal! Stop crying this instant." Maleficent ordered the girl. This only made the purple haired toddler cry harder. Maleficent despised the fact that even now the girl was still disobeying her. She quickly wanted over to the crying toddler and slapped the girl across the face. Mal was so stunned by the unexpected blow that she briefly stopped crying.

But as the pain hit her and the shock eased off Mal began crying again. "I want to go home!" She cried out. Maleficent simply sighed at having to go through this again. She hated it the first time but hopefully this time she could knock it out of the girl sooner.

"This is your home now, Mal. With me, your mother." The mistress of evil of evil told the distraught girl. That information only made the toddler cry harder. All the girl wanted was to be home, safe and warm, with people who care about her.

"I want Benny!" Mal screamed.

Maleficent was quickly loosing patience with the crying toddler. "You won't see him again. Ever." She said to the girl in front of her. Mal was struggling to breath she was crying so hard. The evil fairy was growing tired of the girls constant crying, so she simply sighed and stormed out of the room. Slamming the door and making the girl flinch as she did so.

Mal couldn't help but think of all the people she missed as she held her hand to the side of her face. As the pain on her cheek grew worse the young girl wished she was with Benny and his family, with Evie or even the nice older lady. But even though thinking of them sent her to the older lady the last time the young girl couldn't control her magic yet. Nor was she aware that Maleficent had placed a force field around the room preventing the girl from using any magic. Accidental or not.

The young girl just wished someone would find her soon and take her away from the horrible woman from her nightmare and she would be able to leave this dark, cold and wet room.

 **Author's Note: I hope you like this chapter. Please leave a review and let me know what you think guys. x**


	11. Mal's Kidnapper

It had been a couple of days since Mal had been snatched from the park but to Adam, Belle and Ben it felt like an eternity. To them it felt like they hadn't seen the toddler in years. But what worried them was they didn't seem to be getting any closer to finding out who had taken the small girl. This worried Belle and Fairy Godmother to no end. Even Fairy Godmother's magic wasn't providing much insight into the girls disappearance.

This however had only proved to motivate the older fairy more. She didn't like when her magic didn't work to find someone, more so when said someone was small and defenceless. Thankfully due to Mal moving in with the royal family only Evie, Jay and Carlos knew of her disappearance. The trio naturally offered all their free time to try and help.

So when Fairy Godmother decided to head to the library and see if there were any books there that could help, she had already read everything in her office, her study at home and the royal library, but even if she had been warned and prepared what happened next would still shock her to no end.

As she manoeuvred the halls and slipped through the mass of students on their way to and from lessons she kept an ear out listening for any signs of trouble. After the rumours some of the student population spread when Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos first came it was like second nature now. What she didn't notice was she was so focused of listening she didn't look where so was going she she bumped into someone. Immediately she turned and found Chad picking up his books.

"Chad, I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going." Fairy Godmother apologised.

The blonde teen simply looked up at the older woman and smiled. "Nah, it's okay." He said waving her off. "Oh by the way," Chad said stopping Fairy Godmother before she could even try and begin walking towards the library. "Sorry to hear about Mal disappearing. Hope you find her soon." The boy said, plastering a fake sympathetic smile on his face that the headmistress saw through in an instant.

That sentence gob-smacked the woman. Of all the people she had thought of being behind it Chad certainly wasn't one of them. "What did you just say?" She asked. She was hoping beyond belief she had misheard him.

"I just said that I'm sorry, you know, about little Mal going missing." Chad repeated himself, clearly not seeing that he had just dropped himself right in trouble. He hadn't counted on them not telling people.

Fairy Godmother knew she had to act on this information. She just couldn't believe it was Chad who had helped the mistress of all evil kidnap a young girl. She gently but firmly grabbed Chad's upper arm and practically dragged him back to her office. She didn't release her hold on him until they were both inside the room with the door closed.

"Have a seat." Fairy Godmother stated as calmly as she possible could. The headmistress then sat behind her desk and pressed the intercom button to speak to Claire, her assistant/secretary. "Claire, please telephone Chad Charming's parents and King Adam and Queen Belle. Tell them it's urgent. Thank you." She asked Claire. Not missing the confused look on the teens face.

"Why have you called them, Fairy Godmother?" Chad asked.

She knew she had to make up a quick lie or the boy would change his story. "Oh I merely thought you would want to offer you condolences to the royal couple yourself, since Mal was in their care when she disappeared." The older woman said. Internally sighing when Chad nodded, seemingly buying her quickly thought up lie.

It was taking all of the headmistress' self control to keep quiet and not berate the teen with questions until he told her where the toddler was. Luckily not too long after they had been called both couples arrived with Ben in tow. She mentally screamed as she saw them enter her office. Now she could get down to brass tacks and find out where he had taken Mal and why.

Before she could speak however, Cinderella cut her off. "Why are we here Fairy Godmother?" She asked. She wasn't unkind but it was clear she would rather be elsewhere.

"Chad here had something her would like to say to King Adam and Queen Belle. I thought everyone should be here to hear it." Fairy Godmother explained. And everyone turned expectantly to the blonde teen in the room. Chad then said his apology/condolences to the royal trio. Chad completely missed the look of pure hatred that spread across their faces and the gasp from Belle as he spoke, he simply turned back to the headmistress once he had finished.

"Why did we need to be here for that?" Prince Charming asked. Of course himself and Cinderella knew of Mal being turned into a toddler but her going missing was news to them. However they still didn't see the relevance of them having to be here.

"I asked you to come because of the severity of his knowing this." The older fairy said. She noticed Chad's face fall a little. He clearly knew he had been caught but seeing she was about to be interrupted Fairy Godmother began to speak again. "The only person barring myself and King Ben, King Adam and Queen Belle who knew where Evie, Jay and Carlos. Since no one has spoken about it the only other person who would know is..." She couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence. Actually saying all this about Chad, a boy she had seen grow up, it was to much for her.

Ben finished the explanation for her though. "The only other person who would know is the one who kidnapped Mal and gave her to Maleficent." The teen king growled out. Chad turned to face the royals knowing he was well and truly caught out now. He couldn't help but shudder at the murderous look on all three of their faces. Although seeing the look on Belle's face was scarier then the other two combined.

"Is this true, Chad?" Cinderella asked her son, tears forming in her eyes as she watched him nod.

"Why?" Fairy Godmother questioned him.

"Because I figured Maleficent would punish her badly for defying her and stuff so we would have one less VK walking around." He stated. Clearly the boy didn't know when to shut up. Although the next action shocked everyone.

Belle marched forward and spun Chad's chair around to face her, placing her hands in each arm and leaning into his face. "You you willingly gave Mal to the mistress of all evil knowing she would be hurt!?" Belle asked in an anger filled voice no one had ever heard from the monarch before. Chad nodded fearfully. "You actually make me sick right now. Where is she? Where the hell did you take her!?" Belle questioned the fearful teen in front of her. Her voice growing in volume the more she spoke to him. "Tell me!" She snapped. The boy flinched at her tone, noticing he wouldn't be getting away with this.

"The tower Rapunzel used to be locked in." He whispered but his voice somehow carried around the room. Everyone heard him clearly. Once he said this Adam came forward and pulled his wife towards him. She immediately felt her anger deflate and she turned into his chest sobs wracking her body as she thought about the purple haired girl, scared and alone with Maleficent. Who was doing god only knows what to her.

"I will arrange transport and we will leave soon." The headmistress told them. Adam and Ben nodded to the headmistress but Belle didn't respond. She just continued to cry. "Will will be better going my transport rather then my magic. Maleficent will be expecting my magic." She explained her decision but again only received answers from two of the three family members.

The headmistress dismissed Chad and his parents with a simple wave of her hand as she picked up her office phone. While the phone rung she watched as Prince Charming all but actually dragged the teen out of the door. Belle had calm considerably as the group of four were informed by Claire that their transport had arrived.

As the four of them climbed into the car they hoped for the best but the three adults also knew to expect the worst where Maleficent was concerned. That's what they prepared themselves for. The worst possible scenario. Anything better then that was great. They all just hoped they would find Mal before anything too severe happened to the girl.

 **Author's Note: Again I apologise for my delay in updates. I will be back to regular updates and my other stories 'Is Evil Born Or Made?' and 'Uncontrolled' will be updated later on tonight (It's 3:19am where I am). Please review and let me know what you think. x**


	12. Rapunzel's Tower

While mentally Belle was preparing herself for the worse possible outcome she couldn't help but hope that things would turn out fine. She couldn't help but hope they would find Mal safe and sound. But she knew that wasn't likely. The toddler had been stuck with the Mistress of all Evil for days and while Belle hoped for the best she knew it was more likely the young girl had been hurt in some way.

Normally Belle was the level headed one in the family, the calm one in the family but today she wouldn't be opposed to punching both Maleficent and Chad for thinking they could do this. God help them if anything had happened to the small girl. The usually calm and collected Queen was not about striking someone of it was called for today. She just hoped Mal knew how much they loved her and that they were on their way to find her and bring her home.

The mother looked around the car at the others. Her husband and son sat opposite her, both looking as furious as she felt. Fairy Godmother was next to her, fiddling with her wand. The older woman's expression was unreadable which was never good for anyone on the receiving end of her magic. Usually this would worry the Queen but today as long as it meant Mal was returned unharmed she couldn't bring herself to care. She couldn't even begin to think of how the toddler was living and she in all honesty didn't want to. It made her sick just to think about it.

Turning her head to look out of the window Belle noticed they weren't far away from Rapunzel's tower but she then noticed the car stopping.

"What's going on?" She asked her husband and Fairy Godmother while her son looked just as confused as she did.

"It's probably better we walk from here. I don't know what kind of protections Maleficent has around the tower." Fairy Godmother explained. The quartet climbed out of the car and began to walk the remaining distance to the tower they knew Mal was last seen. They all just hoped Maleficent was staying there and hadn't moved the young girl, otherwise they were out of ideas.

The four heroes didn't know whether to be relieved or worried when the tower came into view and they so easily passed Maleficent's defences. It wasn't like Maleficent to be so careless yet it did make it easier for them to save Mal.

* * *

Mal was beyond terrified. She didn't know how long she had been trapped here with the scary woman with horns but the toddler didn't like her and wanted to leave. She had quickly learnt not to cry in front of the woman, every time she did the young girl got hurt. It still hurt the young girl to take a deep breath from the last time she cried in front of the woman and said she didn't want to be there.

The scary woman had just left the toddler alone in the dark room and Mal was growing more and more scared. The woman kept telling the young girl she was now her mom but that wasn't right . Mal knew who her mom was and it wasn't this woman. The purple haired toddler wanted nothing more then to be back at the castle with the people she loved. But the two year old was beginning to loose hope. She was beginning to think maybe the scary woman was right, maybe they didn't care enough to come find her, to come and save her. Maybe this is how she is going to be living from now on.

The two year old heard footsteps approaching the door once again and quickly wiped her eyes of the tears that were gathering there. The last thing she wanted to do was anger the scary woman. With scared wide eyes the young girl turned to face the door. As the girl expected Maleficent walked back in but this time she didn't stop near the door like usual, she walked straight over to the two year old and forcefully picked her up. The girl squirmed and cried trying to get out of the hold but it was no use. Maleficent was much stronger then the girl.

Mal was beyond scared as Maleficent took her to some unknown part of the building. Mal didn't know what the building was or where she was being taken. She had never left the room before and since she rarely left the far corner she didn't even know the room that well. She flinched however when she heard a loud bang from the other side of the building. Mal hoped it wasn't anyone like the woman holding onto her right now.

Before Mal knew what was happening she felt herself being thrown in a different room. She felt herself actually hit the wall before landing on the floor in a heap. The girl didn't even care if the scary woman was around anymore, Mal just started to cry. She was in so much pain she couldn't stop herself, no matter how much she didn't want to cry so she wasn't hurt anymore. But unknown to her Maleficent left almost immediately after throwing the toddler.

Maleficent practically ran to the other side of the building and came face to face with the four heroes. She couldn't help but smirk at them.

"Where is Mal?" Fairy Godmother demanded. None of them missed the way Maleficent's smile grew a little after the headmistress had spoken. With a wave of her sceptre Maleficent sent them all flying into the wall behind them. Fairy Godmother and Adam being the only two who immediately got back up. Looking at Maleficent they saw her smirk falter for a second and looking around both Adam and Fairy Godmother knew why. Belle was missing.

The pair helped Ben stand up as he too noticed his mother's absence. "Where is my mother?" Ben asked the evil fairy, who just smirked in response. The now trio knew they had to deal with Maleficent first if they had any hope of finding Belle or Mal.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I am so sorry for the delay in my updates. I've been having a serious writer's block lately but that seems to be behind me now (I hope). I haven't given up an any of me stories and hate leaving it this long between updates. As an apology for the length of time between my updates all of my stories will have a new chapter posted in the next couple of days (three max). Please review and let me know what you think x**


	13. Finding Mal

Ben and Adam continued glancing around to try and find Belle but with no such look. Fairy Godmother however had her attention trained on Maleficent. The two fairies seemed to be in some kind of stand off, neither wanting to make the first move it seemed. As the father and son's eyes landed on the two fairies again it seemed their stale mate had come to an end as maleficent threw a fire ball at Fairy Godmother only for the headmistress to rebound it with a wave of her hand.

That soon turned into a magical fight between the two fairies which resulted in Maleficent, Fairy Godmother and the two Kings being thrown into the walls various times. King Adam and King Ben had taken to hiding behind an upturned table so they weren't hit. Both wanted to find Belle and Mal but each time they tried to leave where they were hiding they were hit with some kind of magic. They had no option but to stay where they were for the moment and could only hope that the pair were safe. The father and son continued to watch as the two powerful fairies battled to gain the upper hand but they seemed to be equally matched.

 **Meanwhile...**

Mal laid on her side and continued to cry. She wished beyond anything her mom was here, she had said so not long ago but wasn't aware that her wish was actually coming true. Mal continued to remain curled up and didn't move until she heard a groan from across the room. Mal stiffened as a reflex but as she slowly lifted her she immediately recognised the other person in the room. Still in a great deal of pain Mal stayed where she was and watched the woman wake up and take in her surroundings.

As Belle's eye lids fluttered open she took a look at her surroundings and found her husband, son and friend where not there. She also noticed she was no longer in the same room she had entered the building into. But it was a strange sound that drew her attention and made her look around the room a little more closely. As she looked around she recognised the sound. Crying. She knew it had to be Mal so she stood up and looked in the corners knowing that Mal would likely try and hide away.

It was then she noticed the small girl curled into the corner furthest away from the door, her head peaking out over her knees. "Mal?" She gently called out to the girl. She noticed the girl flinch a little as she came closer. "It's okay, honey. I'm here. You going to be coming home." She told the girl and hoped she would be able to figure out how to get them out of here, preferable without bumping into Maleficent.

"Mommy?" Mal whispered. The young girl was terrified if she spoke any louder the scary woman would come back and hurt them. Belle's breath caught in her throat at Mal's word. She had never called her that before and after making sure there was no one else in the room who Mal could have been speaking to she nodded to the girl.

"Yeah, baby. Mommy's here." The former Queen told the younger girl before gathering the tiny girl into her arms. The mother noticed immediately she was lighter then she had been before but then she doubted Maleficent had fed her properly. But the other thing the woman noticed was the pain in Mal's eyes and her ripped and slightly bloody clothing. Although the small girls breathing worried the woman more. Her breathing was laboured/forced and extremely shallow.

Belle adjusted her hold on Mal allowing the injured girl to curl into her more. The adult stood gently and tightened her hold on the small girl to make sure she didn't fall or injure herself anymore then she already was. Slowly and quietly Belle made her way towards the door and peeked her head around the door.

After a few second of looking she deemed it safe and slowly began to make her way down the hallway. Belle noticed Mal kept flinching each time a bang or crash was heard and she couldn't help but wonder what she had been put through and get a little upset about what she was thinking her baby had been through. She managed to keep her tears at bay and whisper comfortingly to the tiny toddler in her arms.

Upon hearing Belle's voice Mal seemed to calm rather quickly but it was a constant circle between the two, especially as the thuds, bangs and such seemed to get louder. The former Queen knew they were getting close to where her husband son and friend were and it was likely Fairy Godmother fighting with Maleficent that was causing the noise.

Her thought were confirmed when she finally came to a door and peered around it. There was Fairy Godmother and Maleficent still engaging in a magical fight and both looking worse for wear. As she scanned the room for her husband and son she noticed Adam's head poking around the table and she couldn't help but smile a little knowing they were safe.

She made sure the toddler was fully curled into her chest and not looking towards the fight going on before she slipped into the room, with the intention of getting to her husband and finding a way out of here so Mal could get some medical attention. But as she got a couple of steps towards the table she heard someone shout to her.

"Belle! Look out!" Adam shouted to her. Belle turned towards the two fairies in time to see Maleficent throw some kind of magic in their direction. Thankfully she saw it in time to be able to quickly drop down, so she was kneeling on the floor and was leant forward so Mal wouldn't be hurt.

"It's okay, baby." She whispered to the small toddler. As she looked out of the corner of her eye it seem Maleficent focusing on her was the distraction Fairy Godmother needed, as in a few flicks of her wand the Mistress of all Evil was restrained with some kind of magical binds. The headmistress quickly walked over to the dark fairy and placed a cuff around her wrist, effectively neutralizing her magic.

Once they saw it was safe both Ben and Adam ran over to the woman holding the toddler. The two men encased the former Queen and toddler in a tight hug whispering to them both that they were safe.

After a while the two Kings released the two. Belle smiled gently at them before standing and walking over to Fairy Godmother. "Jennifer?" Belle called out. It was rare she used Fairy Godmother's name and when she did it was usually something serious. This caused the older woman to look up at the former Queen immediately. "Can you transport Mal to the hospital and I will be there as soon as Maleficent is locked up. She needs to be seen, now." She explained.

Fairy Godmother nodded her agreement to Belle and she reluctantly handed the toddler to the headmistress. She knew Mal was in safe hands but as she watched the fairy and toddler leave in a cloud of blue smoke she couldn't help but feel anxious. Belle brushed it to a side and focused an getting Maleficent locked up so she could get back to Mal.

As the boys walked Maleficent to the car, Belle shot a quick text to Evie, telling the worried blue haired teen they had found Mal and to meet them at the hospital. Mal needed to be checked over but Evie could see her and spend a little time with her.

 **Author's Note: Again I apologise for the delay in my updates and I assure you guys it won't happen again. I will be updating all my stories every 3-4 days. So I hope you guys like this chapter. There will be around three more chapters to this story before it will be completed. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think x**


	14. Hospital

Evie had left her dorm room and practically ran to the hospital as soon as she had read the text from Belle. She hadn't even bothered to respond to it, she just wanted to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Which is why now she was sat on one of the hard plastic chairs in the waiting room. The receptionist refused to tell her anything including which room the toddler was in which infuriated the blue haired teen. She simply wanted to make sure the little girl was safe and not scared but they wouldn't tell her anything.

She had been sat there silently fuming for around an hour when she noticed a familiar woman in yellow walk through the entrance. Evie stood immediately and headed to the former Queen.

"Evie, how is Mal? Is she okay? What's going on?" Belle rambled off to the teenager before she noticed the anger in her eyes. "What's wrong?" She asked the teenaged girl.

"I've been here over an hour and they wont tell me anything!" Evie exclaimed. "I haven't even seen Mal because she" The blue haired girl started to explain before pointing at the receptionist. "won't even tell me what room Mal is in." The girl finished.

Belle wore an angry look of her own at the girls explanation. "Follow me." Belle practically demanded of the teenage girl before storming off towards the reception. "A two and a half year old by the name of Mal has been brought in here. What room is she in?" The mother demanded to know.

"I'm sorry I can't give you that information." The receptionist answered without even looking up, so she had no idea who she was talking to. Her response only fuelled Belle's anger though.

The angry/worried mother slammed her hand down on the desk causing the blonde receptionist to look up stunned. "That girl is two and a half years old." Belle stated, completely fuming with the other woman's audacity. "She is living under my roof and I am in the process of adopting her. So I will ask again, what room is she in?"

"Seven." The receptionist squeaked out.

Belle with Evie in tow turned and marched through the doors and down the corridor to room seven without even thanking the receptionist or even giving her a backwards glance. Evie couldn't help but be shocked at the way Belle had spoken to the woman. She expected that kind of behaviour from Adam and even Ben but not the benevolent Queen she was currently following.

As Belle reached the door to room seven she didn't even bother to knock on the closed hospital door she just pushed it open and walked in. Her eyes immediately locked onto Mal laid on the bed. She could see the girl had been bandaged around her shoulder (where she assumed Mal had a cut of some sort) and she could see the young girls breathing her evened out and she looked to be asleep.

"Belle, is everything okay?" Fairy Godmother asked. Belle knew she meant Maleficent but really she just wanted to talk about Mal.

"Fine." The former Queen responded, her tone of voice effectively ending the conversation surrounding Maleficent. "How's Mal?" She asked the older fairy, as she watched Evie move towards the toddlers bed.

"She has a cut on her shoulder. Apparently she had been thrown into something. But other then that it's just bruises." Fairy Godmother told the mother. Belle couldn't help but feel even more mad. She just couldn't understand how someone could treat the toddler in such a way. The purple haired child was so innocent and it hurt the mother deeply so know someone could treat a defenceless child in such a way.

It was then that Mal's doctor came back into the room, bowing as soon as he noticed the former Queen was now there. "Your Majesty." He said in a way of greeting. Belle merely nodded her head in acknowledgement. She still hadn't taken her eyes off the young girl on the bed. Even with Evie running her fingers through the purple locks the toddler still had yet to wake or move. "Well everything looks normal with Mal. She is merely bruised and has a cut to her shoulder as I'm sure Fairy Godmother has told you." Belle nodded to him again. "I'm sure Mal would be more comfortable at home rather then in here so I have no problem in discharging her. She needs plenty of rest and I will prescribe some child medication in case the pain becomes a little too much for her. I will be back shortly with her medication and papers."

With that the doctor turned and left as Belle released a breath she hadn't realised she had been holding. She was so happy Mal would be home today. As Belle and Fairy Godmother shared a relieved smile Mal began to wake up. "Evie?" The little girl asked as she saw the blue haired teen stood over her. The little girl didn't understand why she was with Evie when the last thing she remembered she had been in her mommy's arms.

"Yeah, it me Mal. Your safe now." Evie reassured the girl.

"Where mommy?" She asked the teen stood next to her and Evie couldn't help but smile. She knew the toddler was talking about Belle. Evie knew as a teen Mal looked at the former Queen as a mother figure and apparently that hadn't changed since she had become a toddler. Evie waved the older woman over. "Mommy!" The girl exclaimed holding her hands up to the brunette woman silently asking to be lifted up. Belle complied immediately and held the young girl close to her, not noticing Evie snap a quick picture on her phone.

A few hours later saw Belle walked into Castle Beast with Mal struggling in her arms clearly wanting to be put down. Belle knew she should rest but she also knew Mal was a two and a half year old and getting her to rest when she wanted to play was damn near impossible. So she walked quietly to the family room doorway and upon seeing both her husband and Ben in there she finally gave into Mal and placed her gently on the floor.

Mal had also seen the two Kings in the room and ran around the couch towards them, excitedly. "Benny! Daddy!" She exclaimed, shocking both of them while Belle looked on smiling. It was the first time Mal had called Adam anything other then his name and since they were in a rush Belle forgot to mention the young girl calling her mommy.

Finally the royal family were able to relax. Maleficent was locked away and not able to use her magic and Mal was back at home with them. They still didn't know how they would deal with Chad but they would figure it out together later. For now they simply wanted to spend time with the toddler who never failed to make them smile.

 **Author's Note: Okay so I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. But I do have one question for you; how do you think Ben should handle Chad? Should he have the same treatment as Maleficent for what he did or should he have a different punishment? Please leave me a review and let me know what you think x**


	15. Sentences

A week later and physically Mal was practically healed. The cut on her shoulder bothered her at times but the bruises had cleared up and nothing else bothered her. Mentally things were not so easy. The small girl frequently had nightmares and could no longer stand being in a dark room by herself without panicking, screaming or both. With a lot of cuddles afterwards and buying the toddler a night light for her room things seemed to settle down a little but the mental scars were always there.

The former King and Queen were currently sat in a court room waiting for the small practically unnecessary trial/sentence hearing to start. Mal was sat on the mother's knee. They had tried to leave her with a baby sitter but Mal had attempted to scream the castle down each time they tried to leave the room. It appeared since her ordeal with Maleficent she also suffered from separation anxiety. The toddler always wanted one of the trio, be it Ben, Belle and Adam, with her all the time, unless of course she was asleep. The couple were unsure right now how they were going to break Mal's new found dependence on them but they would figure it out. They always did.

The pair stood as Ben entered the room with Fairy Godmother. It seemed they wouldn't have to wait long at all to find out how Maleficent and Chad would be punished. They could tell by their sons face he wanted it to be over as much as they did. Belle felt the toddler in her arms tense as she noticed Maleficent being walked into the middle of the room. The former Queen couldn't help but glare at the evil fairy knowing what her daughter had been through. That was one of the perks of being the former King and Queen of Auradon. When they had applied to adopt Mal the day they brought her home from the hospital it had taken five days before all the paperwork and things were signed and filed making them officially Mal's parents.

She noticed a cuff on Maleficent's wrist and knew it was to drain Maleficent's magic so she couldn't use it. Both Belle and Adam locked eyes with their son. They knew neither hearing would take long. The council of elders had voted on it only yesterday and decided on the appropriate punishments for both Maleficent and Chad. In Belle's opinion their sentence should be worse but it was Ben's call and he agreed with the council. At least neither of the two would be able to hurt Mal anymore.

"Maleficent, you have been brought here today to hear your sentence." Ben started to say, his voice showing hints of anger but he was doing his best to remain calm and collected. He kept glancing over at the rest of his family, his parents and new little sister, and they helped him to keep himself balanced. "You have been found guilty of kidnapping and abuse of a minor." The young King stated. He had noticed Mal become rather rigid in hos mother's arms and wanted to finish this as soon as possible to ease Mal's nerves. "The cuff currently attached to your wrist will be altered so it will never be removed by any means and you will be sent back to the Isle of the Lost." Ben told the evil fairy, who sneered at him in response as she was them led from the room by two guards.

Belle noticed he smiled at Mal as she looked up to him and it seemed to ease the tension the young girl was feeling. She watched with fascination as Chad was then led into the room and made to stand where Maleficent had been minutes before. The two teenage royals glared at each other, neither boy had particularly liked the other before all this, this had merely heightened their feeling.

"Chad, you are here because you kidnapped Mal and handed her over to Maleficent knowing harm would befall her. We have decided you sentence but I must ask; why would you do this?" Ben asked. Seeing Chad smug face it had become near impossible for the young King to keep his anger in check.

"Had Maleficent succeeded it would be once less VK walking around." Chad stated, showing absolutely no remorse for what had happened.

"Why do you hate them so much?" Ben questioned the other teen. He knew what had been decided but after hearing this he felt he needed to add a little something more and damn it he was going to. He was King and there was nothing anyone could do to stop him.

Chad simply shrugged his shoulders before stating. "I just do. Besides I doubt they had it as bad as they claimed. They're probably just looking for sympathy." There were gasps heard around the room at this. No one could quite believe the teen had actually said that.

"You will be stripped of you royal title and status, effective immediately. You will also spend the next three months living on the Isle of the lost." Ben stated, his anger seeping into his voice the more he spoke. "You claim they didn't have it that badly so you can live there for a while and see first hand how they lived and survived. You will be going tonight with Maleficent." Ben told the teen.

"This is crap!" Chad shouted.

"This sentence is final!" Ben shouted back. "Take him away." He ordered the royal guards and they escorted the teen back to his cell in the dungeons. After Ben dismissed the court he walked over to his family, Mal immediately reaching for him making him smile. It was like Mal had always been with them. She just fit into the family so perfectly, like she was supposed to be a part of their family. Ben held her as close as he possibly could as he followed his parents from the large court room.

The older couple decided they were going to plan something's and left the teen King with his little sister, both knowing it would loosen them both up after what they had just seen/done. Ben was more then happy to spend time with his tired but favourite purple haired girl and she immediately got a burst of energy from somewhere seeing she was only with Ben and wouldn't get into trouble for breaking anything. The toddler had immediately ran towards her ball once her feet where on the floor and Ben couldn't help but laugh. His parents never let Mal play with it in the castle only he did.

Mal threw the ball as hard as she could trying to catch the teen by surprise but Ben had good reflexes from playing Tourney and easily caught the ball. "So that's how you wanna play is it?" Ben asked her a playful glare on his face as he flexed his fingers. The ball lying forgotten at his side. The toddler squealed and ran off, Ben close behind her. He was purposely slower then her for a while, she was only small and couldn't run very fast after all, before catching up to her and scooping her into his arms.

Ben then began to tickle her mercilessly, eliciting squeals and giggles galore from the excited girls mouth. After a while Ben saw his little sister was struggling to breath and stopped tickling her, completely unaware her delighted sounds had gained the attention of his parents who were watching from around the corner their faces showing their love for their two children.

"Love you Benny." Mal told him, once she had gained a little control over her breathing.

"I love you too, Mal. And I promise I'll always protect you now okay?" He asked. Mal nodded and Ben allowed the now tired girl to cuddle into him, resting her head on his chest. The young King knew it wouldn't be long before his sister would be asleep so he moved into the family room and sat himself on the couch leaving the toddler curled into him. This is how their parents found them a few hours later both fast asleep. Neither had the heart to wake then so they simply draped a blanket over the two, Belle kissing both their foreheads, and let them sleep for a while. They both clearly needed it.

* * *

 **Author's Note: So I have one chapter left but I have a question. Should I do a sequel to this? If so what do you think I should include in it? Please review and let me know guys x**


	16. Epilogue

**Two months later**

It was a month off the end of term but this particular Saturday found Evie, Jay, Carlos, Jane, Doug and Audrey in Castle Beast with the current and former King of Auradon. Sure they had spent a lot of time here lately getting to know Mal as a toddler and babysitting if the three older family members had to leave for any reason but this time was different. This time they were there for a special occasion.

Today they were all in their finest outfits and ready to celebrate with Mal and the royal family. The group were just waiting for the former Queen to come downstairs with the toddler before they all needed to head out. They sat in the family room waiting when the heard someone coming down the stairs. A few minuted later the older woman entered wearing her signature floor length yellow dress with the purple haired toddler on her hip. Mal had been dressed in one of Evie's creations. A purple knee length dress with a blue sash around her waist which was tied in a bow at the back. The young girls hair falling in loose curls to her shoulders.

As Belle walked over to her husband she placed the girl on the floor and she immediately ran over to Ben. The two were becoming incredibly close and Mal was always with him when he was home and had free time.

"Benny, up!" Mal exclaimed, raising her arms up to him as she did.

The teenaged King complied immediately and lifted the girl into his arms where she immediately curled into him. She loved her hugs from her big brother. "So, you ready for your big day?" Ben asked the small girl. Mal nodded into him before leaning back a little to look at him.

"What will happen?" She asked the young King. It never ceased to amaze the teens how quickly her speech has improved since she moved in with the royals and had some stability in her life.

"Well do you remember Fairy Godmother?" Ben asked the toddler who was sat in his lap. Mal nodded to him causing him to continue, unaware of everyone else in the room listening. "Well she's going to talk for a bit while you're with me and our parents. Then you get a tiara placed on your head and you will then be Princess of Auradon."

"Weally?" Mal asked excitedly. "I be a pwincess?" The thought excited her beyond belief and Ben couldn't help but chuckle at the purple haired girls enthusiasm.

"Yeah you will be." Ben agreed with the toddler. It was then he looked up at the clock and noticed the time. "So we should get heading out." Ben stated causing everyone in the room to stand, except for Mal who just held up her hands in the direction of Adam.

"Daddy, cawwy?" She asked. The former King couldn't stop the smile spreading across his face if he tried.

"Of course, Princess." He said as he lifted her from his son's lap.

It didn't take long before the family were at the Cathedral and standing up on the dais looking out over the many people gathered there to see Mal become Princess of Auradon. Surprisingly it was Ben who had suggested the teen be coronated. The thought hadn't crossed either Belle or Adam's mind. But Fairy Godmother had quickly agreed since the couple had officially adopted the young girl it was expected of them to have a coronation for her.

Mal was still attached to her dad's hip when Fairy Godmother came up to the dais and stood next to the table holding her wand. "We are here today to coronate a our first Princess of Auradon." Fairy Godmother started but Adam could feel Mal tense a little as she realized how many people were there with them. Since the who issue with Maleficent Mal had hated crowds but tended not to show it too much if she was with the family.

Belle noticed Mal beginning to shuffle and immediately knew it was due to the crowd, so she gently took the toddler from her husbands arms and sat Mal on her hip, moving so they were between Ben and Adam. Belle couldn't help but smile as this action caused some of the tension to leave Mal's little body.

The family took a few steps towards Fairy Godmother when she motioned for them to, belle obviously being a few steps in front of the boys since she was holding Mal. The older fairy lifted a small silver tiara from the table and placed it gently on top of Mal's purple curls, smiling at Mal as she did this. She smiled at the royal family before turning back to the table and picking up her wand. The headmistress touched both of Mal's shoulders before taking a second to phrase the question in a way the two year old would understand.

"Mal, do you promise to be kind, caring and loving as long as you reign?" She asked. She just prayed the young girl at least sort of understood what she was talking about. Mal nodded to the older fairy causing smiles from Fairy Godmother and the toddlers family. "Then it's my honour to crown you as Mal, Princess of Auradon." She stated, causing a round of applause from the crowd of other royals.

Ben couldn't help but look over at Mal. Seeing her look this happy and the smile currently stretched across her face was a little strange. He had only just gotten used to Mal as a teen and now he was having to get to know her again as a toddler. But there was one upside to this. Now him and his parents could give Mal the childhood she had always wanted and most certainly deserved.

 **Author's Note: So This is the last chapter for this story. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I am considering writing a sequel but I would love to know what you guys would like to see happen in it. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. Till next time guys x**


	17. The Sequel

**Hey guys,**

 **So I am very sorry for not updating any of my stories for a while. They will be updated today. I have a sequel in the works for this story. I will be uploading the first chapter after this.**

 **The sequel is called 'A Second Chance at Childhood'. Hope you guys will like it x**


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